Ties that Bind, Ties that Break
by Chicary
Summary: Yami vowed to defend Yugi even if it meant costing him his own life. He'd do everything to keep his other safe and fiercely got rid of anything that threatened that safety. But why? Simple, Yugi wasn't always 'just his other.' Discontinued old fic.
1. Acquainting

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.

A/N: Just a little something new, please read and review.

**Ties that Bind, Ties that Break**

_Once upon a time there was a king in Egypt whose heart was heavy because that he had no son. He called upon the gods, and the gods heard, and they decreed that an heir should be born to him. In time came the day of the child's birth. The seven Hathors greeted the prince and_ _pronounced his destiny...._ [1]

The loud slapping of sandaled feet echoed in the empty corridors as the pharaoh stumbled his way through the darkness, unable to see past five steps ahead of him. The message had come hours before dawn, during the time when the division between night and day could not be distinguished but could only be considered in relation to each other and observable by the degree of darkness outside.

Had it been earlier in the night, the torches lining the halls would not have been so dim and he would have been able to move faster. But as day approached night, the lighted torches faded away with the decreasing oil, almost as if swallowed by the proclaimed natural light of Ra.

Atemu had chosen, perhaps unwisely, to go without his guards. Part of the reason for this was because he strongly believed in the privacy of the situation and, out of his love, wanted to display respect for his Queen by honouring this privacy. The other part was more obvious, it wasn't a place for men and even he could not enter her chamber before it was all over.

"_Come down placenta, come down!"_[2]

The pharaoh momentarily stopped. The midwives were using a spell to assist birth, and a rarely used one at that. Most of the time, this was unnecessary unless the birthing was difficult or the woman was bearing twins. The loudness and strain in the woman's voice did not help in alleviating his distress in any way. He quickened his pace.

"…_I am Horus who conjures in order that she who is giving birth becomes better than she was, as if she was already delivered…" _

It was only a matter of time until he was to hear the all-too-recognizable dreadful cries accompanying the chant. For a man who'd encountered countless bloodshed and suffering on the battlefield, this was still something he could never get used to. He could feel beads of sweat forming at his hairline like a warm mist. His temples throbbed with an impending headache and his surroundings blurred past him.

"_Look, Hathor will lay her hand on her with an amulet of health!" _

The pharaoh flinched and jammed his fingers in his ears. With elbows sticking out from each side of his head, he narrowly missed skinning himself against the stone walls several times. A night guard momentarily lost his sense of courtly protocol at the strange sight but managed to drop to his knees before the king. This act of socially enforced courtesy, however, worked against he pharaoh. The prostrated guard suddenly felt a sharp kick to his side, and, believing he'd angered the pharaoh somehow, looked up to see the other man wide-eyed-half-flying-half-tumbling over him and landing on his stomach with a thud.

"M-m-my Pharaoh," The young guard stammered, attempting to help Atemu off the ground, "Please have mercy, I did not know you were… in such a hurry… a-and the running… with the ears… and w-what happened to you….? Please, I did not, please…" He futilely tried to help brush the dirt of the pharaoh's shenti [3] but the king slapped his hand away. Groaning, he got on his knees and faced the guard. The young man had never seen Atemu eye to eye before and the fire in saw in them terrified him. The guard braced himself.

"What should you be doing right now?" The pharaoh asked sternly.

"I should be… patrolling the… terrace, your majesty." He replied, turning his gaze to the ground.

"Instead, you tripped me."

"I-it was a complete accident my pharaoh please I saw you coming and fell on my knees but I did not know you did not see me here on my knees bowing to you but I thought if I did not do that you would punish for disrespecting you and I would never consider such a treasonous act I swear by -- "

"Go to the terrace then."

"Y-yes, my lord."

The dishevelled guard gave three quick bows and hurried away, relief washing over him like the first leap into the Nile on a hot summer's day.

It wasn't long before Atemu caught hold of the situation once more. His main priority was to remove the obstacle and move on. Ceremonials could wait.

"_I am Horus who saves her. Make the heart of the deliverer strong, and keep alive the one that is coming."[2]_

He could see the chamber door just ahead. Anticipation welled up inside him but also deep dread. While one leg pulled him closer, the other was apprehensive. The suspense from this unknown gnawed at his innards, an invisible beast feasting on his entrails. Suddenly, it dawned on him that something was very wrong about the situation. Everything was silent.

Atemu willed himself to overpower any hesitation. At this point, he couldn't care less about these frivolous rules and regulations. He was the Pharaoh. He could make or break any of these rules in an instant and no one would dare argue with him. To Hathor with the midwives and their superstitions, their aversion to men, or whatever it may be.

He threw open the double doors.

Inside were three women, all looking startled as their ruler barged in unannounced. One of them let out a shriek and almost the dropped the soiled linens she was holding, but Atemu barely noticed this. Something else immediately caught his eye and his heart sank.

"My Pharaoh - " one of the women began, but stopped when another woman placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

The women respectfully stood off to one side of the room with their heads bowed. No matter how hard they tried, none of them could hold back their tears for long. The pharaoh walked toward the enormous bed in which lay a pale woman with shallow breathing and closed eyes. This was Lostris, the Queen of Egypt. He grasped one of her trembling hands and steadied it.

Lostris opened her eyes and smiled weakly at her husband. She attempted to sit up but didn't have the strength. "Darling," she said, "I think it's a boy."

"Is it?" asked the pharaoh, gently.

"Mmm, yes, I'm sure it's a boy, but they took him somewhere and I haven't had a chance to see him yet."

"Well in that case, I'll tell them to bring him out here. He should be with his mother after all."

Before the Pharaoh could give the command, one of the attendants had already rushed to the other room to fetch the child. In no time, she reappeared, holding a sleeping, caramel-coloured baby wrapped in fresh linen. She carefully handed the child to the pharaoh, gave a court bow, and left them alone. Atemu placed the baby on the bed beside his wife. Lostris turned on her side and slipped her index finger into one of his chubby little hands. Even while fast asleep, the child reflexively gripped it as hard as he could.

"Look how strong he is." She said happily, caressing the tiny hand with her thumb. "I'm so glad."

"That is because he's your son."

"And yours too."

The pharaohs chuckled lightly, "And mine too."

"He's so beautiful; I hope he stays this fair."

"Our son would have to go out into the sun some time."

"But women like men who are fair."

For a moment, the Pharaoh didn't know how to reply. He stopped momentarily to look at his arm. "I'll make sure he'll have many female admirers." He finally said.

Lostris smiled, "I was only jesting, darling." Her smile faded and she reached out a pale hand, drawing him closer until their faces were inches apart. "But please watch over our son, Atemu, and make sure he has a place in this palace. That is all I need."

The pharaoh caressed his wife's cheek with the back of his hand. He was still holding tightly to her other hand and could feel the decreasing strength in her grip. His voice caught in his throat and the only thing he could do was nod. This was enough for the Queen. She knew her husband too well to expect overly decorative words, devoid of any real meaning. She preferred it this way anyways.

She gave her husband's hand a gentle squeeze and the Pharaoh captured her lips in a soft kiss. When they parted, Lostris gave a final sigh and her brown eyes glazed over. Her head flopped to one side and closed her eyes and it was all over.

The Pharaoh lay his wife gently down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin, making sure she looked as dignified as possible. His vision was blurred by the tears welling up in his eyes but he brushed them away before they could spill over. He was suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow, so much so that his shoulders sagged under the internal burden. He gripped the side of the bed until his fists turned white and dropped his head, taking several deep breaths.

He felt something brush against his arm and looked up to see a pair of violet eyes staring at him. The baby was wagging both arms vigorously, demanding to be picked up. The Pharaoh immediately scooped the child up with both arms and nestled him against the inner crook of his elbow. Satisfied, the baby dropped his arms and snuggled against the warmth of his father's body.

The faintest rays of light broke through the night sky, turning the late hours of the night into the early hours of the day. The Pharaoh took the child over to the large window which looked over a vast expanse of smooth sand. The dawn cast its shadows over the sand dunes, colouring them many shades of brown and gold. Overhead, the morning sky merged with the night sky, loosely dividing them with brilliant splashes of orange, lavender, pink, and blue. At the horizon was the jagged outline of the city, which was a three-day journey away from the palace. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

"Luckily for us, this is the best time to look over at our kingdom. One day, all of this will be yours, would you like that?" The Pharaoh said to his son, whose big eyes were fixed upon the scenery before them. Despite his best intentions, he couldn't shed the melancholy tone.

"You'll be called Aten Yuugi, for the morning light." He stuck his index finger in the baby's palm, as Lostris had done earlier, and kissed the little fist the baby made over his finger.

Although several hours passed, it didn't seem long before the sun was high in the sky and various people could be seen resuming their daily activities. The Pharaoh stood alone at the window, pointing out various aspects of what they saw to his son, who appeared to listen attentively. He spoke to the child in the same manner he would to other adult, feeling no need to simplify his language.

A crowd began to form outside the front gates of the palace. Word spread quickly of the arrival of the new royal and people of all classes gathered to take a glimpse of the Pharaoh's first born son. Together, they watched as the crowd grew and the Pharaoh could tell that some had travelled many days ahead of time for this event. Despite the growing impatience among the masses, he didn't leave the room until someone came to fetch him.

A servant appeared at the door with his head lowered, "Your Highness, your people are waiting." Without waiting for a reply, he quickly left the room.

The Pharaoh took one last glance at his wife's lifeless form and turned to their son, "Come Yuugi," he said, with a tap on the child's nose, "They are all waiting for you."

**

**A/N:** I'm starting to doubt that anyone will really like the idea of Yami and Yuugi not being brothers or lovers but......like this. Sorry if you don't like it but please don't flame.

[1] Taken from "The Doomed Prince,"  
[2] A spell to assist the birthing process.  
[3] Egyptian loincloth


	2. My Fada

…………oooooooo…………

His mind was in deep turmoil and he found himself unable to sit still for even a moment without jumping up and groaning in impatience. At that moment, the best way for him to expel some of this anxiety, he figured, was to pace. And pace he did. It didn't quite help the nagging tug in the back of his mind, or give him the answers he desperately wanted or even make the grains of sand in the hourglass fall faster, but it gave him something to do. He'd much rather that than sit still and wait for his mind to slowly slip into insanity.

A light clanking of the manacles, which clung onto various parts of his body, followed every step as he paced the length of his chamber one way and then the other. The long fine, silk cape of lavender bellowed softly behind him with each sturdy step, gold lining reflecting back the torchlight. His arms were folded in front of his sleek, toned abdomen gradually collecting sweat with each passing hour. Once every few minutes he would turn to peer out the large window or the door without really knowing why. He was waiting for someone but he wasn't sure of which direction that person would come.

The pacing grew tiresome and his patience grew thinner with each step. He stifled the urge to bolt it out of the room and go searching for the information himself rather than wait for it to come to him. Lately, with the fast-pace chain of terrible events befalling his kingdom, Atemu felt lost in the mess of troubles and was unsure as to how to deal with them all. The problem, he knew, centered around a thief named Bakura who was apparently seeking justice for the slaughter of his village. 99 souls sacrificed for a greater cause, the creation of the Millennium Items, and Bakura wanted revenge for each and every life taken. Armed with his stealth and amazingly powerful ka, Diabound, Bakura managed to terrorize his people and steal the pharaoh's treasures from right under his nose.

Shimon had urged Atemu to wait and allow the priests to handle Bakura for him. The people needed a strong leader to keep their faith in and if the pharaoh's ka, Kuriboh, was to fail against Diabound, an even greater fear would ensue in the village and chaos was sure to follow. He had reluctantly taken Shimon's advice knowing that Kuriboh was no match against the strength of Diabound. The thought of standing by while he allowed others to handle his problems made him feel useless but he needed time to devise a plan in order to take down Bakura.

And so he was left in the dark. Both literally and metaphorically. His waiting had stretched long into the night with no signs of ending. This waiting was getting ridiculous and he felt like severely punishing whoever the messenger was for keeping the pharaoh in such a way.

"These people move slower than a crippled camel, WHERE IS MY MESSENGER!"

He forcefully slammed his hand against a nearby wall in irritation, brushing aside his 'Pharaoh etiquette.' Always keep you emotions under control. Securely guard your weaknesses. Always maintain a stern, regal stance. Anger is always to be suppressed, etc, etc. To hell with etiquette.

"You are lucky that no one saw you do that."

The pharaoh jumped slightly at the sudden voice coming from the door. Shimon stood at the entrance out of breath, clinging onto a piece of papyrus and something golden. He took three steps into the room and closed his eyes, collapsing against the wall. The pharaoh rushed to his aid and gently led the old man to a nearby chair, sitting him down carefully.

"Shimon, are you alright? What happened?"

"Yes, Atemu, I just need to, just need to…. catch my breath is all."

The man laid his hand on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat almost bursting out of it. He bent over slightly, struggling to get rid of the exhaustion. Atemu rubbed his back lightly, a gesture he rarely used, but Shimon was a close friend and mentor, so it was acceptable. He finally caught a hold on his breath and sat up slowly, a grim expression marring his face.

"She's gone."

Seeing that Shimon had recovered, Atemu grabbed the man by the shoulders and looked him square in the face.

"Who? Who's gone? Tell me everything that has happened. Where is the messenger and why are you here? What happened out there? Tell me, tell me!"

Shimon placed his hands on top of the pharaoh's and slowly slid them off his shoulders. He stood up and walked towards the window, staring out at the empty night sky. Puzzled and slightly frustrated, Atemu turned and followed suit.

"Well?" He asked in a more softened tone.

Shimon sighed, "If only you could've seen the agony on her face, my Pharaoh."

"I do not understand."

"Perhaps it was to be expected but I never knew the immensity of Diamond's power. And now it's too late."

"You mean Bakura had a hand in this?"

Shimon gave no answer. Stupid question.

"Atemu, you do recall what happened to Mahaado do you not?"

The pharaoh sighed. Of course remembered, Mahaado was one of his most trusted priests, his close friend even. But that was awhile ago. Mahaado was gone now; he lost his life protecting his master. That was the first time the pharaoh had seen and felt the enormous power of Diabound, a Ka that seemed to have come from nowhere and belonged to one most unworthy.

Shimon grasped the pharaoh's hand and slipped something inside, curling his fingers around it. Atemu opened his hand, looking down to see the delicate Millennium Necklace which was slightly more scratched and worn from the last time he saw it.

"Isis……."

"She fought bravely, your highness, but in the end….it was just like all the others."

The pharaoh clenched his hand tightly around the necklace and squeezed his eyes shut in anguish. His entire body shook with the effort to not cry out in anger, something he'd done so many times before.

"This, this was not……how could this happen? S-she was just a woman, why did she have to face Bakura? What man would be so low as to harm a helpless woman? There is no decency in…."

"She was not helpless. Isis was armed with a Millennium Item which meant that she posed a threat towards him. He is careful enough to dispose of any form of possible hazard in his way be it man, woman or otherwise."

"Yes, I know but….."

"I understand. This is difficult to accept. I don't know how many people we lost in this short period of time. It has all happen so quickly."

"It all seems like a dream."

The two men stood staring out the window in an uncomfortable silence. Shimon rubbing the piece of folded papyrus between his fingers suddenly realised what he was doing and broke the silence.

"This is something for you." He handed the pharaoh the piece of parchment.

Atemu eyed the papyrus carefully. The edges were ragged and torn, and small splotches of dried blood stained various parts of it.

"The messenger who carried this was accidentally shot by one of your guards. For some reason, the guard was under the influence of alcohol and perceived anyone arriving at the palace as an enemy. I found the man lying on the ground with an arrow pierced through is temple and tore the note from his hands and brought it here myself. I was in luck to escape the drunken guard, even if it was only by a hair."

"This looks suspicious. I doubt that……Ooooph! What the – "

"NO! No, no, no, no, no, I dun wanna, I DUN WANNA!"

The pharaoh looked down in surprise to see a four-and-a-half-year-old clinging onto his leg tightly, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Help me fada, she's gonna get me!"

"Atemu, he's – "

"- I know, I'll handle it."

The pharaoh knelt down and tried to yank the toddler off his leg, but the little one refused to move. He eventually managed to get him off but the kid just grabbed onto his arm and clung onto that instead.

"Yuugi, I'm busy right now, go play somewhere else."

"She's gonna, she's gonna…" The prince's eyes went as wide as saucers as he dug his fingernails into his father's arm.

"Yuugi……" His tone was grave, giving off the slightest hint of warning.

"But fada!"

"YUUGI!"

The boy flinched at his father's sharp, demanding voice and slowly sank down onto the ground whimpering. He hung his head in a sulk and mindlessly fiddled with the hem of his shenti.

The pharaoh sighed, glancing at Shimon who was shaking his head in disapproval. He gently kneeled down to where Yuugi was sitting and gave him a light hug, patting the boy's back in the process.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you son, but you shouldn't be barging in like that."

Yuugi's only reply was a small sniffle.

He sighed again and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Alright then, who is 'she'?"

"Anzu."

"And what is she doing?"

"Chasing me."

"And why is she chasing you?"

"She wants ta give me a bat."

Atemu arched an eyebrow, "She wants to give you a what?"

"Bat, bat-uh." Yuugi spat out the last part of that word causing some spittle to hit his father's face.

"Oh, you mean a bath."

"Yes."

The pharaoh couldn't help but grin a little. "What is so bad about that?"

Yuugi's head shot up and the look he gave his father was one of sheer disbelief. His large lilac eyes grew even wider and his mouth hung agape. It was almost like the pharaoh had just announced that he had two heads.

"Fada! She wants ta give me a bat! **A** **bat**!"

The pharaoh faked a gasp and blinked profusely. "Oh, you mean a _bath, _bath."

Yuugi was getting annoyed at how slow his father was. He started bouncing up and down, still on his butt, repeating "Yes, yes!"

Atemu rubbed his chin and tilted his head, appearing to be in deep thought. Yuugi stared at him closely, waiting for the solution to his predicament. "Hmm, I don't know son, this is too difficult a situation for me. I don't think there is anything I can do for you."

The toddler's excitement strengthened and he tugged at his father's arm swinging it back and forth. "But you can do lots' a stuff. You da phe- da pha- da pharow!"

Atemu almost berated himself for being surprised that Yuugi knew that. But Yuugi, in some ways, was slightly more mature for his age than most children. In some ways.

"You are very demanding aren't you son?" He chuckled, "Let me think."

They heard the sounds of almost squishy footsteps quickly coming down the hallway. In no time, a girl appeared at the doorway with a very agitated expression on her face. She was nearly soaked from head to toe.

"There you are! Gods Yuugi, why do you have to make this so har- oh, my Pharaoh I'm sorry I-I….."

She instantly dropped to her knees, bending down as low as possible. Her face flushed in embarrassment, seeing the quizzical expression the pharaoh gave her. Yuugi gave a squeak and hid behind his father, peeking over his shoulder just enough so that he could see Anzu but hoping not enough so that she could see him.

"You may stand up, Anzu."

"But his highness is… is… sitting on the ground."

He stood up, Yuugi carefully keeping himself hidden behind the Pharaoh as his father rose to his feet. He gripped so tightly onto Atemu's shenti that he almost pulled it down completely.

"Now, you may stand up, Anzu."

The girl reluctantly got onto her feet, fully aware that Yuugi was hiding from her. She sighed; indeed this job was tiresome sometimes.

"My son tells me that you plan to give him a bath."

Anzu was, to say the least, confused, but one reassuring nod from the Pharaoh and she caught on.

"Yes, I was."

"Are you aware that he is not fond of baths?"

"Yes, your highness."

"Then why would you give him one?"

"Um…because he's dirty?"

Yuugi's peeked out from behind his father and yelled "Hey!" In protest before realizing that he just revealed himself to her and clasping his hand over his mouth.

"And you dare to insult my son, your prince, by calling him 'dirty'?"

"I, uh………"

This was becoming quite uncomfortable for her and she began to shift her weight from one leg to another.

"You know I can easily punish you for disrespecting my son don't you?"

Anzu could feel beads of sweat rolling down her already soaked back. "_Oh Gods, what am I supposed to say, this is all so……strange. Okay, stay clam Anzu, stay calm."_

"Yes, your highness."

"Wait here while my son and I discuss a proper punishment for you."

"Y-yes my Pharoah."

Atemu pulled his son to a corner of the room and knelt down to his level, speaking in a hush whisper. "Shh, she can't hear us from here."

Yuugi snuck a glare at his dry nurse and cupped a hand around his mouth, believing that, indeed, the girl couldn't hear him. "See! Told ya she was gonna give me a bat!"

"She is a sneaky one isn't she?"

"Real seaky."

"How do you suggest we punish her?"

Yuugi scratched his head. He hadn't really thought about that until now. His father usually did all the punishing but was never allowed to witness them.

"Lock her in da batroom foreva!"

The pharaoh blinked. "Isn't that a bit harsh son? What if she needs food?"

Yuugi scratched his head again; he hadn't thought about Anzu getting hungry, but he knew how awful it was to have an empty, growling stomach. No one deserved that. He needed to think harder than he thought. This whole punishment business was tough.

"Uh….lock her in da batroom foreva but let her out sometimes ta eat stuff."

"When do we let her out?"

"I dunno, wheneva she wants."

"But then wouldn't she always want to be let out?"

"Well yes but……oh dis is too hard!"

The pharaoh chuckled, "See, son this is a very difficult situation."

"What are we gonna do?"

"Hmm, I have an idea. But I don't think you'll like it."

"What, what?" Yuugi began to jump up and down in excitement.

"Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Yes, c'mon."

"Well, I was thinking for now you should go with Anzu – "

"No!"

"Shh, you didn't let me finish." Atemu placed two fingers on Yuugi's lips, and the toddler frowned, "You go with Anzu for now, just for now and I will try to think of a proper punishment for her. Acceptable?"

"Promise?"

"Yes son, I promise."

"'k."

Atemu took Yuugi by the hand and led him to Anzu, who was fiddling with her fingers uncomfortably, at the brink of a nervous breakdown.

"Alright then Anzu," He stood erect, his tone thickly coated with authority, "You may take my son with you for the time being. But remember that you still have a punishment awaiting you."

She grabbed Yuugi by the waist and hoisted him onto one hip. Yuugi seemed to weigh himself down purposely to make her task difficult but, other than that, he didn't show any signs of struggling.

"Yes your highness."

As Yuugi's dry nurse headed out the door, she turned around to catch a 'thank you' smile from the pharaoh. Blushing slightly, she left the room and went down the hall.

From somewhere down the hall Atemu heard a "You promised, fada!" from his son.

Atemu breathed a sigh of relief and placed a hand on his forehead, running it back through his hair. He sat down on a chair and glanced at Shimon who, once again, had his arms folded across his chest, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Atemu you – "

"Don't say it Shimon!"

"- spoil him too much." The pharaoh turned away with a head shake, knowing Shimon would continue anyways, "When you were a child, I used to spank you for such behaviour."

"Times have changed, I don't believe in spanking children, especially not my only son."

"He will grow up to become a spoiled brat."

"No," Atemu sighed, "I know my Yuugi, he's a good child. All he needs is his father's attention once in awhile. I rarely have any time to spend with him so every moment counts, especially during these dangerous times. I wish he didn't have to grow up in such an environment. He deserves to be able to go outside and play without having to worry about assassins or thieves like Bakura." He gestured towards the necklace and Shimon nodded, "It pains me to see him trapped in the palace all the time, lonely and longing to be with other children. Whenever he leaves the palace walls, he needs to be escorted by twenty guards. Do you understand what the sight of twenty guards does to a grown man?" The magic-wielder said nothing, knowing twenty soldiers was no challenge for him, "I never wanted this for him, but it's all I can do to keep my little Yuugi safe."

Shimon gave a sad smile and walked over to the pharaoh, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But that is the price for being the son of royalty. This will become routine for Yuugi in time and you have done your best in raising him. The best is all that one can ask for, don't blame yourself for this."

"I know. I love him so much, it hurts."

"During these stressful times, you should try to keep a smile for him."

"I will."

Atemu's eyes fell to the ground where he dropped the note when Yuugi crashed into him. He picked it up and unfolded it carefully. The note was written in a scratchy, almost illegible Egyptian text and he had to strain his eyes to read it. The words spelled out a foreboding message that made his blood run cold.

"_Stop cowering from me, Pharaoh. I will arrive at dawn."_


	3. Pharaoh's Legacy

...........ooooooooo............

A thin layer of dust coated the golden container, collecting the many years it has been abandoned by its owner. There was a time when its contents were proudly displayed by the pharaoh, gleaming brightly against the sun-kissed abdomen of the ruler as a constant reminder of his glory and power. Now in the hands of his successor, it was kept hidden away in a permanent darkness, having seen light only twice in this other's possession: once for show during his coronation and again when the duel monsters reeked havoc upon the land.

Atemu despised it. The members of the palace were puzzled at his attitude towards his father's legacy and viewed it as a sign of disrespect to the late pharaoh's nobility. As much as they tried to persuade him, laying out all sorts of political and customary advantages in having the golden thing with him from like an extra limb, he refused to acknowledge their counsel.

It was a matter of values, something he never bothered to explain knowing they wouldn't have understood or take it as some sort of childish phobia. He'd resented the thing as a child and grew to dislike it even more as he gained a better understanding of its history and likely future. When he held the Millennium Puzzle, he didn't see a representation of the great victory his nation claimed against the 'unbeatable' foreign invaders or the powerful stronghold Egypt declared over nearly all other countries. What he saw was the bloodshed his father and the elder priests caused to make the items and the wars of greed and lust for power that shaped his upbringing. The stench of blood and the agonized cries of victims were chiseled in his mind at a young age and he grew to learn not to trust anyone. Bakura's senseless destruction was derived from their creation and he could not forget that.

Nevertheless Atemu was the only one capable of wielding the treasure and opted, with reluctance, to match Bakura item for item. Not bothering to brush off the film of dust, he lifted the lid lightly to find the puzzle as he left it years ago. The eye of Horus upon the miniature pyramid stared up at him in an almost naive way, invisible arms reaching up like a small child wanting to be carried by its parent.

'_Father, you must have known I could not turn away from this forever. But it is because of this that I must use it now. Forgive me, I did not mean any disrespect.'_

He felt the power of the puzzle streaming up his fingers like water as he lifted it out of its container and examined it carefully. The smooth surface was still as flawless as ever, without a single marking to indicate its age. Its weight was surprisingly light when compared to its size and each of its separate pieces fitted together so closely that the hair-thin lines were barely visible from afar. The pharaoh threaded a string of camel hide through the loop at the base, doubling the knot for security, and adjusted the cord to fit comfortably around his neck. He felt the warmth of its energy spread from within the core of his torso to each of his limbs, cooling his dread and comforting his spirits. He may have resented it, but it had remained loyal to him after all these years.

He gave himself time to get used to the weight around his neck before setting off to the lower levels of the palace in search of aid from an old friend.

...........ooooooooo............

"Use the bar to barricade the door you fools!"

"We did, but it's not going to hold for long! We need something stronger."

"Well what are you waiting for? Go find something stronger."

"We tried but found nothing, sir."

"Do I have to do everything myself?" The commanding officer marched over to the large double doors leading to the throne room and pressed his bodyweight against it, "We don't have much time, just hold yourselves against the door until we can think of an alternative."

The other soldiers followed their leader's commands and one by one lined up against the entrance, pushing with all their might to keep the intruder from entering. Small fragments of the entryway began falling on the frantic soldiers as the strong pounding of the enemy persisted from the outside.

"How could one man do all this?" One soldier grunted as he strained to keep up the defense

"I don't know but I heard he's brought a whole army with him."

"An army?" A tall, burly man snorted, "Where would he get an army? He's alone."

"How do you explain this then?"

"Obviously he's using some sort of large weapon."

"That's impossible."

"Well it's either that or....by Horus....."

"What?"

"Isn't he that man, you remember, the one that......"

They all fell silent and suddenly reeled back at a large 'bang' to the door. They gathered themselves from the fall and fearfully watched as large chunks of the doors began falling away, peppering the seemingly impenetrable barrier with enormous holes .

"All of you get up now, he's almost broken through!" The commander, who still had his weight against the entrance called desperately to his men.

They all scrambled to their feet and got back into their positions, palms against the deteriorating doorway and sweat running down their faces.

After what seemed like a futile effort to protect the palace, the leader turned to his regiment with a hasty idea, "The pharaoh will have to be notified of this, we can't let this intruder barge in unannounced. You men stay here, I won't be long."

The soldiers watched in surprise as their leader left his place and raced down one of the hallways leading towards the interior of the palace. They knew the more they had helping, the better. But they didn't dare oppose the commander's orders. All they could do was wait, either for the inevitable or for help to arrive.

The maze-like corridors were dark and empty as he urgently searched every corner for signs of his sovereign. The sun had begun to peek out from the horizon but not enough to light the ebony sky. He passed the pharaoh's chamber finding, with dejection, the door wide open and the room completely empty. Now, it was a matter of blindly covering the entire palace shouting "my pharaoh, my pharaoh" and hoping amongst all scattered people, the one he was looking for would be there.

"_Ra damn it, did he run away from the place or something? Heh I wouldn't be surprised, it's impossible to find anyone in this rat hole of a palace."_ He spat t off to the side in irritation as he rounded a corner. _  
_  
Everywhere he ran, various people emerged from their chambers throwing complaints and curses at the soldier for rousing them at such a wicked hour. He ignored some retorted back with some vile language of his own at others.

Stopping to catch his breath, he found himself in front of a narrow staircase leading down into the depths of the palace. That area was forbidden to all but the nobility but the lower class never minded since the staircase lead down to a dark and ominous place they'd rather not take the risk of exploring. Driven by desperation and fatigue, he sprinted down the steps, considering neither the rules nor the darkness within the depths.

As expected, absolutely no light reached the underground of the palace and he found himself carefully feeling his way through and stumbling every so often like a blind man. The strong stench of mold and decay wafted up his nostrils as he further ventured into the unknown and he began to regret his decision to go down in the first place. He cursed aloud when he accidentally stubbed his bare toe against a corner, rubbing it tenderly to find it had begun to bleed. It seemed impossible to find his bearings in the place since he was surrounded in every direction with inky darkness. The odour, too, was becoming unbearable. He debated with himself for awhile, finally opting to give up. He turned around and sighed in exasperation, hoping to find his way back to the surface but a whispered chanting from deeper within the darkness caught his attention.

"_Maftet, Sorbet, Aten, Ra.........."_

"Hmmm.....?"

"_Nephtys, Anubis, Nut, Ptah.........."_

He turned towards the voice and followed. The tone was too hushed and obscured for him to figure out who it belonged to but his curiosity provoked him into finding the source of the chanting.

"_Hapi, guardian of the living Nile, Isis mother to our faithful earth......."  
_  
Feeling his way with one hand against a wall, he paused to find the barrier coming to an abrupt end. A doorway. Peering over the corner, he noticed a faint glow coming from a person within the room that accompanied the chanting.

"_Break through to the incarcerated one, I command and bring life once again........."_

"Your highness! I found you at last!"

The chanting abruptly ceased but the light remained as the pharaoh turned from the tablet to see a man running towards him, arms held high in excitement.

"Who's there?"

The soldier fell prostrate at his king's feet, panting heavily and dripping with sweat. He stayed down out of respect but also because he was very tired from the little adventure.

"My apologies for disturbing you, your highness. I am Honda, commander of the palace foot soldiers. I know I shouldn't be in this place but his highness was nowhere to be seen and this is urgent. An intruder is forcing his way into the palace!"

"An intruder?" Atemu expression fell grim, "Is it time already?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Let him in."

Honda 's head turned up sharply, "A-are you sure, your highness?"

"You are questioning me." That was more of a statement than a question.

"N-no, I wouldn't dare, I-I......"

"Good, than allow him in."

Honda got to his feet and gave a curt nod before heading away, then stopped short.

"Before you leave, go to the prince's chamber. It is of utmost importance that he remains in there until I can send for him, understood?"

"Perfectly," And with that, he raced off.

Atemu sighed, turning his attention back to the tablet. "Mahaado, my loyal friend, even from the beyond you are still serving me."

Sandy eyes glowed blue in agreement.

...........ooooooooo............

The sound of rustling sheets from above rouse her from her light sleep. She covered her ears to stifle the noise, too tired to get up just yet having had a very late night the day before. The rustling got louder and an arm fell dangling over her head along. A pillow fell on her head and she was tempted to us it herself but tossed it back onto the bed instead. Groaning aloud, she threw off the thin blanket and sat up from the ground to see Yuugi tossing and turning, eyes half open.

"Yuugi," She shook the boy gently on the shoulders, "Are you alright prince?"

The little one woke up groggily from his restless sleep, rubbing the fuzziness from his eyes and yawning wide."I can't seep anymore, Anzu."

"You went to bed very late last night, are you ill?"

She placed a hand on his forehead to test for a fever but he shoved it away, annoyed and cranky. "No, I just can't seep is all."

"Why not?"

Anzu was quite cranky herself but was too concerned about the prince to let it get to her. He'd always slept like a log and woke up when the sun was high in the sky, which was a good thing since she wasn't too fond of waking up in the middle of the night to tend to his wishes.

"I dunno."

"Are you hot?"

"No."

"Ill in the stomach?"

"No."

"Plagued dream?"

"No."

"Hungry?"

"Umm.......no."

"Then go back to sleep, Ra has not yet reawakened."

"No!"

"Do you want me to give you that disgusting tonic that makes people go to sleep again?"

Yuugi made a face and shook his head.

She sighed, "Here, let me get you a drink. Maybe that'll help."

She left the chamber and quickly returned with a small bowl of warm mare's milk. Yuugi drained its contents in two gulps and handed the empty bowl back to Anzu, wiping away the white moustache.

"Okay, now back to sleep."

"I cannot"

"Please Yuugi, I'll tell you a story."

"I heard all your stories alwedy and dey're boring anyways."

"_Why you little....... He __is__ becoming a spoiled brat."_

"What about a song?"

"Dose are for girls."

"_Gods I'm tired"_

"I promise to give you extra figs in the morning."

"Okay, den I'll wait."

"_Now what?"  
_  
Yuugi hopped off his bed and crawled underneath it, trailing behind him a blanket and pillow.

Anzu scratched the back of her neck in annoyance and bent down to see the prince had begun to make himself a nest amongst the dusty darkness, "Yuugi, what are you doing?"

"I'm seeping down here."

"No you're not."

"Why?"

"Because there are rats and snakes that could bite you."

"No dare isn't."

"Well you can't anyways."

"Wanna come down here too? It's lots cooler."

"No, I do not."

"You seep on da ground every night."

Anzu flushed, "I know that." It was true; she just didn't like to hear about it from the toddler.

"You can seep on my bed t'night if you want."

Anzu unconsciously ran a hand over his smooth, silk sheets, "Is that why you're down there?"

"Sort of."

"Really?"

"And da bed's boring, you can have it."

"I don't think your father would like that."

"Fada's got his own bed, and it's real big too, you want dat one?"

Anzu's face went beat red, "No!"

"It's big enough for you and fada to fit."

"Yuugi!"

"What?"

"Th-that's not uh.......right."

"Yeah, s'pose so. Fada snores lots and kicks too, you prolly can't seep with dat."

Anzu swallowed hard, try (and failing) to picture the unclothed living god in all his well-toned glory in his bed.

"Sometimes he talks, real loud, you prolly can't seep with dat either."

"Ahem." She coughed.

"Somethin wong, Anzu."

"......no."

"Some of da slaves were talking about it. I heard dem." Yuugi carried on casually, scrunching up the blanket to make a ring around him.

"H-how would they know?"

"Um......dere the ones dat you call 'special slaves.'"

Anzu's mind went blank. Then a thousand images rushed in at once.

Satisfied with his nest, Yuugi turned his attention back to the flustered girl. At the moment, she couldn't be more thankful for his age. On the other hand, she couldn't wait for him to grow up, "Hey, you're not gonna leave me to be like dem are you?"

Anzu smiled gingerly, her face like an overripe tomato, "I'd never think of doing that."

Yuugi yawned loudly and snuggled up to his pillow, "k, night Anzu."

"Pleasant dreams, prince." _"You little monkey." _She thought,"_I can't believe he's staying down there"  
_  
Anzu sighed and climbed onto Yuugi's bed, adoring the silken sheet beneath her fingers more than she should have. But before she could lie down comfortably, a sharp knock at the door jolted her upright again. Honda stood on the other side, panting heavily.

"Honda, what are you doing here?" She placed a concerned hand on his shoulder, "I just got the prince to sleep."

"Sorry Anzu, pharaoh's orders he says – hey what's wrong with your face?"

She was suddenly overwhelmed with self-consciousness and her gaze fell away from a moment." N-nothing, so why are you here."

"Pharaoh says not to let the prince leave this room until he sends for it."

"But why?"

"There are intruders in the palace, you have to be very careful."

"Intruders?" By this time Yuugi had reawakened and was crawling out from under the bed to see what was going on.

"Yes and the pharaoh's going to go handle it, make sure Yuugi stays here."

Yuugi tugged at Anzu's skirt, "Anzu, what's 'intruders'?"

She brushed him off and turned back to Honda, "Is it serious?"

"I don't know but the pharaoh looked to me like he was expecting it."

Yuugi tugged at her arm again and she flung him off a little more harshly, "Not now Yuugi." Her head whipped back to the soldier, "Expecting it?"

"Yes I saw him in a really dark room lined with countless tablets; he was chanting a kind of incantation."

Anzu remembered the tablets well, although she was young, it wasn't something easily forgotten. She didn't know very much about them, all she knew was that the situation must have been very serious for him to go down into that room.

"Oh, alright then, I'll stay here with him."

"Good," He turned to leave but halted, momentarily turning to her with a quizzical expression, "Anzu, why was he under the bed?"

"Don't ask." She signed and Honda pursed his lips before deciding not to inquire further. As soon as he was out of sight, Anzu turned her attention back to the neglected child, "Did you hear that Yuugi? We can't leave until your father lets us out. Yuugi?" The child nowhere to be found and she started to panic "Yuugi, where are you?"

"Look, he's running down the hall, after him!" A not-too-distant shout came from down the corridors.

"Oh no, Yuugi, come back, YUUGI!"


	4. Greet the Guest

.............ooooooooooo............

The pharaoh ascended the stairs in an almost daze-like state, feeling an unusual sense of calm within him. His fingers gently caressed the puzzle with the reassuring touch of a lover, feeling the claim of power he held within it.

The puzzle's warmth against his bare skin had cleared his cluttered mind from all other distractions and helped him focus on the impending battle ahead. His resolve had never been more focused and he took this as a good sign. His father must have loved the warmth as well; perhaps, he thought, the item wasn't such a curse to the family after all.

A cool blast of early morning air welcomed Atemu as he emerged from the underground into the empty corridor. The sun had risen in a semi circle just above the horizon, giving the sky a soft ting of purple-pink and lighting the golden sands beneath it. Somewhere nearby, the light chirping of an early bird added to the blooming life around him, soon joined with the crows and squawks of others.

It was mornings like these, when he had the time to himself to simply enjoy the quiet scenery of the palace, that he loved most. Of course rising with the sun wasn't always an easy or pleasant task for the pharaoh but at least he wasn't bothered with palace protocols or the noisiness of people around him.

It was always short-lived, as all good things seemed to be, but this morning was different. Usually he'd hear the sounds of people rising from their chambers, scurrying around an tending to their day's business like fowl with their heads cut off. Today, with the warning of the pharaoh's battle, all doors remained firmly closed and locked with no one daring to utter a word.

Atemu inwardly smiled at something he remembered the other day from a young slave child. She was relating to a friend a description of the thief, scaring the boy so badly that the he urinated onto the very floor he was cleaning and raced out of the room only to crash into a young woman carrying a tray of fruit. The girl ended up cleaning his mess.

He rounded a corner and stepped back in surprise to see Shimon waiting for him with the usual solemn expression in his eyes. The man gave a curt nod and turned to lead the way but Atemu grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"I don't want you getting involved in this. It is my battle to fight." He said gently.

The man pulled his arm away from the pharaoh's grasp and headed in the intended direction, completely ignoring the question. Atemu stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"I said I will do this myself. Do you hear me?"

Shimon stood his ground and replied in a stern tone, "You don't know what you're doing so I am going with you."

"Of course I know what I'm doing," Atemu retorted, interpreting the comment as an insult to his intelligence, "And I have the puzzle to aid me."

"You don't even know how to properly handle the puzzle much less face an enemy that has mastered his own item."

Atemu folded his arms, "I've learned to handle the puzzle well enough, I trust in it and it trusts me."

The old man scoffed, "Just as I thought, you don't know the danger you are putting yourself into. That carefree attitude will not serve you well."

"I know what I'm up against, but no one can know for sure until the time comes."

"That may be true but you cannot afford that chance."

Atemu felt his anger rise, his pride suddenly clouding his thoughts, "Well worrying too much into the matter isn't going to solve anything, it's what I **do** that's more important!"

"And what _are_ you going to do? That ka of his....."

"If you are referring to Diabound," Atemu's tone sharpened to a point, halting the priest, "I have a plan."

"Mahaado does not stand a chance."

Atemu's eyes widened and he unfolded his arms, "H-how did you know....?"

"That you were invoking the powers of the late priest? You should be able to answer that question yourself." Shimon sigh, "I understand your determination but that isn't always enough. The puzzle's powers are great, but until you learn to fully tap into them, you are at a strong disadvantage."

"I'm sure I can do it. You yourself say the puzzle has great powers."

"And you think it will all be laid down at your feet to use whenever you want?" Shimon could not believe he had to explain this, "It takes time to discover and develop your abilities and become familiar with the inner most parts of the item. I warned you about that in the beginning but you refused to even acknowledge the puzzle's existence until yesterday. How do you think that'll serve you?" It was rare to see the usually calm and collected priest so worked up but he was practically screaming through the blue veil over his face.

Atemu turned his gaze away from the man. Shimon was right, he wasn't sure of anything. All he had going into battle was a strong gut feeling. "It's warm Shimon, very warm and comforting." He finally replied softly.

Shimon opened his mouth to speak but said nothing. He was infuriated at the young ruler's but there was nothing he could do in the little time they had. The pharaoh did seem to have a strong inner feeling but all he had to show for it was an unusual sereneness and some sort of warmth. Shimon doubted this was enough but hoped the young sovereign knew, at least partly, what he was getting himself into. Nevertheless, he decided to follow along anyways, this time receiving no complaint from the pharaoh as long as he promised not to interfere without it being incredibly necessary.

Shimon turned his gaze away from the monarch and agreed.

.............ooooooooooo............

As the two entered the throne room, Atemu's eyes quickly caught sight of the figure standing in front of the battered doorway. He wore a simple pure- white kilt that matched perfectly against the pallid tresses running in plated layers down his back. His skin was smooth and sleek with a thin coating of oil that shone in the sunlight. His body was that of a wild cat, slim and agile without the slightest bit of excess body fat to weigh him down. Around his neck hung the flawless Millennium Ring, glinting arrogantly against its master's body, the only piece of jewelry he thought worthy enough for him to wear.

Bakura stood still as a statue, arms folded with a look of boredom in his countenance. His posture, despite the attitude, was perfect and even held a hint of elegance to it. His eyes caught onto Atemu as soon as he entered the room and he smirked, keeping his gaze on the young pharaoh as he walked across the room. Atemu purposely kept his eyes away from the thief until he stood directly across from him.

"Ah, great Egypt, it is truly and honour! I trust you had a pleasant rest?" Bakura spoke with a false light-heartedness, giving a shallow bow.

Atemu remained silent, staring at the man across from him with a neutral expression. Responding any other way would demean him.

Bakura's face faulted, "Oh of course, the mighty pharaoh-god would never bother to address a sub-ordinary street cur like me. Oh how foolish of myself."

The pharaoh kept his stance, inwardly scowling and cursing the man to the depths of the underworld. Shimon felt his discomfort and sent a calming wave of magic through the ruler's mind, reminding him to stay composed.

Bakura blinked and grinned, running a hand through his white locks, "Perhaps I have something that would be of interest to his highness," he slipped the cord over his head and held the Ring up high, "I believe you recognize this?"

"Mahaado's Millennium Ring." Atemu answered grimly, unfazed by the sight of the item.

"Well that's partially correct," He let the cord fall around his neck and dropped it against his chest with a 'clink,' "But this item is mine."

The pharaoh scowled.

"And I would have taken the Necklace from the woman as well had it not been for the meddling old crone over there," Bakura said matter-of-factly, gesturing to Shimon, "No, matter, the puzzle will have to do."

Atemu's throat tensed and his fingers curled into a fist, "You will never take the puzzle."

Bakura wiped his nose with a finger and laughed, "So that's why you sent a bitch to do the master's job, you need others to wipe your arse for you. But I'm a bit disappointed that you have such low regard for me. Pharaoh is so difficult to impress."

"Enough of this! Tell me what you want." The ruler's voice raised an octave, annoyed by the other's impudence

Bakura straightened up, "Why what's mine of course."

"Nothing here is yours."

"Come now pharaoh, you know exactly what I mean. Those items your father created are _drenched_ in my people's blood. I've simply come to reclaim what's rightfully mine."

Deep down Atemu felt some sympathy for the thief even if it wasn't his place to do so. He had his own cause to fight for, but it wasn't as strong as Bakura's."Then you will have to duel me for them." His voice was strong and commanding

Bakura smirked, "Last words, pharaoh."

.............ooooooooooo............

The pitter-patter of little feet rang in the hallway as Yuugi rounded a corner, heading towards the sound of a large 'bang' he'd heard earlier. While Anzu was caught up in this 'intruder' business, he decided to locate the source of the sound and, while on his way, find out what an 'intruder' really was.

The halls were now light enough for him to see where he was going but he still had trouble navigating through the labyrinth of corridors. His pace quickened as he heard the sounds of footsteps chasing after him and, with a quick glace over his shoulder, noticed it was Anzu. He made a swift left turn, accidentally tripping over his own feet and landing on the hard ground with an 'oomph'.

Strong hands immediately seized him under the armpits and lifted him off the ground, swinging him over a shoulder like a sack of flour and carting him back in the direction from which he came. Yuugi screamed, thumping his fists against the man's back and kicking him in the torso but the tight grip on him held firm.

"Lemme go, lemme go!"

"Sorry prince, but you're coming with me."

"But I have ta see......"

"You may not like it, but it's for your own safety."

"But, but....."

"No buts, your father specifically ordered me to keep you in your chamber so that's where you're going to be, understood?"

Yuugi whimpered, continuing to struggle in the man's arms. He eventually tired and fell limp against the man's body, watching the ground move beneath him helplessly. From somewhere down the hall, rapid footsteps approached them; it was obvious who it was.

"Gods Yuugi, what do I have to do, get you a harness?" The girls panted, reaching out to take the child from the man's shoulders.

He felt himself being taken gently from the man's sturdy muscular arms into softer, more feminine ones. He hated being treated like cargo and frown cutely at the girl whose arms were wrapped around him.

Anzu sighed, looking up gratefully at the soldier, "Thank you Honda, I don't know what I would've done without you."

Honda's cheeks tinged pink and he scratched the back of his head, "Oh, it was nothing, just part of my duty is all."

She glanced at Yuugi, who was still sulking, "Well thank you, I can't seem to handle this little one on my own."

"No problem at all, but hey I have to go search for my men. They've all scattered when the news came, useless cowards, if you need any thing....."

A loud noise akin to a thunder strike resonated through the palace, cutting through her words like a knife.

Honda's hand shot to the wall and he braced himself, "What was that?"

"I don't know, but it came from that way." Anzu pointed down a corridor.

"That way?" Honda gulped, "But that leads to the throne room, the pharaoh's there."

Yuugi's eyes widened "Fada? Oh no fada! Lemme down!"

Anzu gave a yelp as the little one gave her a swift kick in the thigh and leapt out of her arms, immediately on his feet and dashing towards the throne room.

"Not again, Yuugi, come back!" Having no time to nurse her leg, Anzu hobbled painfully behind him with Honda slightly ahead of her.

"Wait Anzu, why don't you go this way and I'll cut him off on the other end. He's too quick for both of us to be trailing him like this." At those last words, Honda wondered to himself how a toddler could possibly be faster than he and Anzu combined. However, that was apparently the case.

Anzu nodded, watching the soldier whirling around and taking a right turn. She rubbed her thigh and straightened up before using the impeccable speed of being Yuugi's nurse to dash down the corridor.

_"I swear; I will die a very, very young woman."_ She thought to herself, mentally preparing to spank the child in case the situation came to that.

"Fada, fada where are you?" Yuugi cried as he made his way down the hall, panting heavily and close to tears. The sounds started happening more frequently, each time more powerful than the last.

He began to regret leaving the safety of Anzu's arms but didn't think it was fair that he was safe and his father probably wasn't. Yuugi felt the ground beneath him shake with every step and leaned his hands against the wall to steady himself.

Yuugi moved steadily, making good time despite the unsteady ground. He was about to enter a new corridor when a figure jumped out, causing him to scream and reel back in surprise. Wasting no time, Honda scooped the boy up in his arms, holding him in a Heimlich maneuver position while the boy struggled.

"Stop Yuugi, you have to listen to me." Honda said harshly into his ear.

"No! Fada, I want fada now!"

"Your father said you have to stay in your room, he wants you to be safe Yuugi," Honda grunted, locking his arms tightly around the hysterical child.

"Nooooo! Nooooo!" Yuugi howled at the top of his lungs, flailing his arms and kicking wildly.

"Everything will be okay, don't worry."

"Fada, where are you, fada?!"

"Please Yuugi, calm down, I'll give you anything you want, sweets, cakes, toys, anything!"

"I don't want toys I want fada, fadaaaaaaa!" Yuugi's face turned bright red and he burst into tears.

"Shhh, you're a good boy and very good boy."

The crying grew louder and Yuugi's words were no longer intelligible. Honda began losing patience.

"Shhh Yuugi everything will be alright, I'll just take you back to your chamber and we'll play fun games, how about horsy or chariot or a board game?" The soldier's words came out desperately, his inexperience with children more salient than ever, "It'll be great and then after that, your father will come and take you outside to visit the bazaars, he'll buy you anything you want, anything."

"'Ate you.........haaaaaaate you! Waaaaaa!"

"No, don't say that, you're going to make me sad. How about we go somewhere else to play?" Honda gushed, hoping the dry nurse would come and liberate him.

"Nahahahahahahaaa....."

"I'll be a camel and you can ride me, bleehehehe."

"'Me go lemme gohohohohohoh........"

"You can ride Anzu like a donkey then." His mouth suddenly took a life of its own.

"NOhohohohohohh......."

"I-I let you climb on the roof of the palace and jump off!"

"Fadaaahahahahahah......"

"Look, someone's standing over there and he's staring at you, how embarrassing."

Yuugi stopped for one second but caught the bluff right away. "Want fadahahaha, want fadaaaaaa!"

"No. We. Are. Going. Back. Now, NOW!"

"Nohohohohohohohohoooooo."

"YES!"

"Nahahahahahaaaaa....."

"I'm warning you Yuugi........."

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............."

"SHUT UP CHILD OR I'LL SPANK YOU!"

Yuugi abruptly stopped, stunned at the words. He turned his tear-stained face up to Honda with a look of innocent bewilderment. Honda felt the guilt seeping through him like a thick mist.

"Well," He said stiffly, the words 'pharaoh's son' echoing through his mind, "Do you want a spanking?"

The boy shook his head.

"Then you will go back and later I'll tell your father what a good boy you were."

Again he shook his head.

"We either go or I'll spank you." Honda released his right arm from around the boy and raised his hand high, causing Yuugi to flinch.

"See, this is what you'll get if you don't listen to m.........AUCKukuk!"

Honda dropped the child and grunted as a sharp, almost unbearable pain shot through his body. He fell to the ground in a foetal position, gripping his crotch tightly. Through teary eyes, he saw Yuugi standing above him giggling softly.

"Augh.....Yuu.....gi......" He managed.

"Stop there, don't move a muscle Yuugi." Anzu came running up to them looking like a ragged pheasant, leaning against the wall to catch her breath.

"Huhuhuh.....I...huhuhuhuh.......found.......huhuhuhuh....you.........just.......huhuhuh........please...... stay......please......." She caught her breath, "Hey what happened to you, Honda?"

Honda gave out a high pitched squeak and turned his gaze up painfully at the boy in front of him.

Yuugi looked at Anzu for a split second like a rabbit being cornered by a jackal before pushing past her, and once again, running down the hallway.

"Oh no you don't!"

Anzu saw the light from the throne room just ahead of them as she dashed after Yuugi, the boy being mere meters ahead her. Gathering up speed, she leaped off her feet and did a flying tackle, pinning the child down with her bodyweight. She felt him writhe and wriggle under her but she was determined not to let the boy escape again.

She carefully got off the boy and lifted him up into a sitting position with one arm around his waist and the other over his mouth as if he was some sort of hostage. She held him firmly against her body, letting herself recover from the fall.

"A-re you alright, prince?" She asked at last.

Yuugi gave no answer but stared straight ahead, wide-eyed.

Anzu followed his gaze and gasped, "Sweet mother of Isis........"

The pharaoh stood at one end of the room, panting heavily with beads of sweat dripping down his face. His slightly parted legs were bent at the knees, holding the ruler firmly on his feet as if he was about to collapse at any given moment. The usually noble and calm countenance of the monarch held stress and pain, marring his handsome features. Both arms hung wearily at his sides, shoulders heaving up and down with every breath.

Ahead of him stood a figure clad in violet robes and armour. He stood tall, with an expressionless face that was partially hidden by his pointed helmet. The bright green staff in his right hand was pointed directly at the opponent, ready to launch an attack. Anzu recognized this figure the pharaoh referred to as the 'Dark Magician' but couldn't quite figure out as to why.

The priest Shimon stood far off in a corner with his hands clasped tightly in agitation. His plum eyes were glued onto the man across the room, awaiting his next move. Although no one could see his face, she was sure he was deeply concerned for the pharaoh.

A male she assumed to be Bakura stood at the far end of the room looking as fresh as the living Nile. A dark smile played on his lips as he gazed at the haggard pharaoh with amusement. One hand rested casually on his hip while the other hung at his side. The Ring against his chest glowed bright like the afternoon sun. In front of him stood a malicious-looking creature, completely bald and bathed in dark colours. Its eyes were piercing, evil slits, the most noticeable feature on the navy blue face. In one arm held a broken doll. Dark Necrofere.

Anzu pressed her hand over Yuugi's mouth to keep him from crying out and disturbing the pharaoh. She was glad he hadn't noticed their presence but it broke her heart to see him in such disarray.

"I believe that was a good enough warm-up," Bakura ran a hand through his hair, "Now let's begin the duel."

The Dark Magician gripped the staff until his knuckles turned white. He could feel the strain of his master through their magical link and tried his best to hold firm his stance. The pharaoh's strength was fading quickly whereas Bakura was barely fazed.

"Perhaps you'd like a small rest first?" Bakura inquired.

Atemu stumbled a bit but said nothing. He tried his best to straighten up, gripping onto the puzzle desperately for support.

_"Master, you are weakening, we must stop."_

_"I know, but we can still win, just trust me, Mahaado."  
_  
Bakura shrugged, "Alright then, as you wish," He turned to his monster, "Dark Necrofere."

Yuugi screamed through Anzu's hand and squirmed in her arm as he saw the hideous monster advancing towards the Dark Magician. He slipped his jaw under her hand and bit down on her pinkie with all his might, receiving a shriek from the girl. That caught Atemu's attention and he watched in horror as the toddler broke free from the nurse's embrace and began running towards him.

"Fada, fada, I'm comin!"

"WHAT?! NO YUUGI, GET BACK, GET BACK!" He screamed, waving an arm frantically at Yuugi.

Bakura watched in surprise at the small child running right into their battle. He glanced up at his monster with a sly grin and nodded.

_"Why not, it will still be nothing in comparison to what I had to witness my family go through and besides, the pharaoh should know better than to let others meddle in our business."  
_  
The creature nodded and turned his attention to Yuugi, who immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

Atemu's eyes widened, "No.....don't you dare, I'm warning you."

The Dark Magician readied himself to counterattack but his timing was off by a hair.

Dark Necrofere's eyes opened up wide, shooting out two concentrated beams of light. Yuugi clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the rays to strike him but felt nothing. He suddenly fell back as a heavy weight knocked him to the ground followed by an agonized cry so loud it echoed throughout the room.

Yuugi felt suffocated and tried to push the mass off of him but he was too weak. The person got to his knees slowly, groaning in terrible pain and grabbed Yuugi in a desperate embrace.

Atemu's eyes stung with tears as he held his son close to his heart, unable to stop his laboured breathing, "A....are....you alright Yuugi?"

The boy whimpered and nodded. Atemu squeezed him tighter, crushing the boy against his sweaty body."Why son, why did you leave your chamber?" He whispered.

"I-I was afaid fada, dere were sounds and I was afaid." He buried his face in the nape of the pharaoh's neck and cried softly.

"Shh, it's alright," Atemu rubbed gentle circles around the boy's bare back, "I'm right here, I won't let anything hurt you."

Yuugi slid his little arms around his father's back in a hug, feeling the pharaoh wince under his touch. The skin on his back felt strangely rough and wet as if it was made of a tattered piece of leather.

"Did it hurt lots fada?" Yuugi asked tenderly, continuing to feel around the pharaoh's back, unaware of how much worst he was making it.

"N-no I-I- augh fine, don't worry."

"It's cause of me, right? Are you angwy?"

"No son, it wasn't your fault. I'm just so glad that you are safe." He gave Yuugi a kiss on the forehead, keeping his lips lingering there, knowing it may be his last chance to do so.

Bakura growled, watching his opponent tend to the child and not paying any attention to him "Pharaoh! What in the name of Horus are you doing? Get back here now and duel me you worthless excuse for a king."

Atemu ignored him, causing Bakura's rage to flare. "Alright then, if that's how you want it than I will destroy both you and your pup with one attack!" He closed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows together, concentrating on channeling his energy through the Ring. It lifted off his chest on its own and slowly began to glow brighter until the item radiated a blinding white light. A thin beam shot out from the ring like an arrow and flew up towards the ceiling, hitting its target and showering beams of light down on Bakura like a spring rain.

"Atemu! You must hurry, Bakura's summoning his Ka, he's calling forth Diabound!" The pharaoh heard Shimon holler from somewhere in the room.

Atemu looked down at the shaking child in his arms but couldn't find the heart to leave his son when he needed him most. That and the fact that his injury hampered his ability to fight.

"Yuugi....."

"No pease fada, don't leave me. C'mon, let's go get a healer and den you'll get better, c'mon lets go." Yuugi tried to break free but Atemu held onto him tightly.

"No son, I can't go." He said gently, turning the little's one's chin up to meet his remorseful gaze.

Yuugi clung tightly to him, unsure of the reliability of his source of comfort, "Well why not? Is it cause of the bad man?"

"Yes it's because of him that I have to stay here."

"Den make him go away."

"I'm afraid it's not that easy." Atemu looked into those large, unknowing eyes. If only his son knew the extent of those words.

"L-like the bat?"

He ran his hand through the boy's messy hair, "No, this is much more difficult."

Yuugi's gaze fell to the ground, "You're da pharow."

Atemu could feel another wave of tears coming. His son was right on that one but if he couldn't fulfill the wish of his own child, than what kind of pharaoh was he?

A sudden, deafening roar sounded in the room, causing Yuugi to jump back into his father's arms. Diabound was taking form and it was only a matter of time before the beast was fully summoned and ready to destroy. Atemu turned around and watched helplessly as the beast emerged from the depths of Bakura's soul.

"Make it go away, fada. It's so loud." Tears streamed down his face and his voice was muffled from being closely pressed to his father.

"Don't worry son, I won't let it hurt you."

"Atemu, you have to do something, it's about to attack!" Shimon shouted.

"Fada help me, I'm so afaid!" Yuugi started bawling and buried his face in the pharaoh's chest.

He wrapped his arms around the boy tightly, trying to stifle the cries. The ruler could feel the heat emanating from the creature's energy as it prepared to attack and he braced himself.

"I'm so sorry, Yuugi." He clenched his eyes shut.

A thunderous explosion sounded in the room followed by something that almost sounded like shattering glass. The force of the attack was like a sandstorm, nearly knocking Atemu over and onto his son. Be braced himself against the wind, gripping onto the child with all his might to keep him steady. After an eternity, the wind slowly receded and then all was silent.

_"Was that it? It couldn't have been Diabound's attack. Something must be wrong"_

Clutching the boy to his chest, he turned to see a clear barrier divided down the width of the room. A Mirror Wall.

"Old man? Shimon!"

The priest stood in front of the pair, using the power of the Millennium Ankh to sustain the wall. Diabound had concentrated most of its energy into the blast, almost shattering the Mirror Wall Shimon erected. The barrier was weakened by the attack so the beast took the opportunity to pound at it with its physical strength.

Atemu could see the edges of the wall beginning to form spidery cracks and knew it couldn't sustain for long. The magus's body was strained, taxing his energy and draining the magical abilities of the pharaoh pulled his son out of the embraced and gripped onto his shoulders, meeting the child's eyes.

"Yuugi you have to listen to me and do as I say, understand?"

The toddler sniffled and nodded slowly.

"Good, because I need you to be brave for me, can you that?"

"Yes."

Atemu wiped away a bit of mucus running from the boy's nose, "Listen carefully, I want you to go with Anzu and – "

"Nooo!" Yuugi jumped back into his father's arms and began to sob.

Atemu sighed and rubbed the child's back, "You agreed to do as I said, remember?"

Yuugi ignored the question and kept on crying.

"You're going to make me sad if you don't listen to me, son. Do you want me to be sad?"

"No." The child whispered.

"Than you must do as I say and go with her."

"No I don wanna."

"Do you love me?"

"Lots."

"Than why aren't you listening to me?"

Yuugi lifted his head, "I want to be here, I won't get in the way, promise."

"You want me to be sad, don't you?" Atemu caressed a chubby cheek, his son's tear soliding onto his calloused finger.

"No, but...."

"But nothing, you're a brave boy and I know you can do this for me," He signaled for Anzu and the terrified girl hurried over.

Yuugi reached for his father's face but Atemu pushed the small hand away, "You're gonna be happy right?"

"Yes, that'll make me happy," Atemu hugged the child and kissed him in the hair, "Be good for me, son I love you very much"

Anzu hesitated but bent down and hoisted Yuugi onto one of her hips. "You're gonna come lata, right?"

"Y-yes, I'll come later."

Anzu turned to walk away and Yuugi looked back over her shoulder, "You promise fada?"

"I promise."

Through blurry eyes, Yuugi watched as his father staggered to his feet and straighten up. Somewhere down the hall, he heard he clear and confident voice of the pharaoh rang out over all the noise and confusion.

"Shadow duel!"


	5. Please Don't Abandon Me

**A/N: **Um…. sorry for the long wait?

…………….oooooooooooo……………

Yuugi lay sprawled on his stomach, eyes fixed on the golden hourglass, and ears tuned to the minutest sounds coming from outside his bedroom. Ever since Anzu had dragged him kicking and screaming from the throne room and locked him in there, he'd gone through bouts of dreamless drowsiness and moments of intense anxiety. His earlier protests against being incarcerated as well as his attempts at kicking down the door had fallen on (Anzu's) deaf ears and he'd decided to sleep it off rather than actually wait for his father to come for him. After all, Yuugi thought, why just sit there and be bored?

The crashes and explosions had long ago stopped, blanketing the palace in an eerie silence. Yuugi wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. The sounds of his father and Bakura's battle terrified him yet the silence made him feel worse. What had happened? Was Bakura finally beaten? If so, why hadn't the pharaoh come for him yet? Everyone in the palace from noble to slave had scurried off in fear, hiding themselves in any nook and cranny they could find and leaving their young prince forgotten.

The toddler curled into a foetal position, straining to hear anything from beyond the bedroom door. He shivered from fear of being alone and abandoned and tried to seek security by burrowing into his blanket and mass of pillows. He stifled a whimper as he thought back to Bakura's hideous Ka and the pained and frightened expression on his father's face as he held the boy close. It was all he could do to grip his blanket tightly and wait.

The door slowly creaked open, causing Yuugi's spiky head to jerk up in surprise. He sunk deeper into his make-shift nest as an unfamiliar blond head poked through the door. The person, most likely a servant, was no more than a child. He kept his face the ground and carried with him a brush and a large bowl of water. Paying no attention to the prince, he dropped to his knees and began silently scrubbing the floor. Seeing as the boy seemed harmless, Yuugi emerged from hiding and crept to the edge of his bed, watching curiously.

Without a word, the blond made his way around the room, occasionally stopping to stretch and rub his arm. He'd avoided eye contact with the prince no matter how hard Yuugi tried to catch his attention but occasionally glanced around the eloquently furnished room with awe (while keeping his back to the now frustrated toddler). It didn't matter to him that the boy was a complete stranger. Yuugi had been incredibly relieved to have company and desperately wanted to talk to him. He was just too shy to say anything.

"Um…. hello…….," Yuugi said softly, after deciding he couldn't take it anymore.

The blond said nothing and continued to work. Yuugi slid further off the edge of his bed, not wanting to leave it at the moment. He brought his face as close to the other as possible and greeted him again, this time, a bit louder.

Again, the servant said nothing, his attention purposely focused on the oh-so-fascinating palace floor. He was stubborn, almost rude, and Yuugi was pissed.

"My fada's da pharow ya know. You gonna be in big trouble!" The toddler practically screamed, after many more futile attempts.

Dropping the brush and getting on his feet, the blond muttered something under his breath and turned to leave. But before he could take two steps, Yuugi hopped off his bed and scrambled in front of him, coincidentally standing right between him and the door. He looked up at the servant with huge, accusing eyes and, for the first time, noticed the servant was at least a neck and head taller than him (counting his hair, that is). He was not intimidated though, after all, he was the prince.

"Why dun ya talk ta me?" Yuugi pouted, anger and sadness mixed in his voice. His lower lip quivered as if he was about to burst into tears at any moment.

"'Cause I'm not allowed," The servant replied humbly, keeping his gaze on the ground.

"Why?"

"'Cause they said so."

"Why?"

"'Cause I'm a slave."

"Why?"

"'Cause I got no parents."

"Why?"

The blond bit his lip and gripped the hem of his tunic until his knuckles turned white. He had been told he'd be flogged if he spoke or even looked at the annoying shrimp of a prince. If his superiors found out he might have punched the lights out of the little guy, well……..

"What's ur name?"

The blond looked up in surprise and quickly dropped his head. Up to that point he could have gotten away with talking to the prince but if the prince knew his name, there'd be no way to bluff out of it. But his superiors would understand, right? He was, after all, only seven and this was an unusual situation. Sort of. The _prince_ spoke to him _first._

"Jou."

Yuugi giggled, "Dat's a funny name, really short and weird and kinda boring."

"Thank you."

"But it's okay, Joo – "

" – Jou…"

"Yeah Jou, I like it and ya look like ur name."

Jou studied the prince for a moment, not caring whether he was allowed to or not. The boy seemed to genuinely mean well and that was okay, even if he was a little strange and totally violated protocol.

"My name's Yuugi, Yoo-gee. My fada's da pharow ya know." Yuugi grinned from ear to ear. He loved saying that very single time.

Jou just had to smile. "That's really neat. Is this whole place your chamber?"

"Yup, wanna see?" Yuugi grabbed Jou's arm and led him around is bedroom, giving a grand tour of all the expensive furnishings and beautiful décor that lined every corner and wall. He pointed out a giant tapestry depicting the creation of the world by the creator god Aten and proudly displayed his knowledge about every detail of it. He knew Jou was impressed by what he knew and made an effort to wrack his brain for as much information as possible.

"Oh, oh, and dis is from Room, it's my favrit. C'mon, Jou it's ova here!" Yuugi bounced happily towards a delicate marble vase with various abstract shapes and designs painted on it. The vase perched on a skilfully carved stand that stood well above Yuugi's head.

"Fada said da Roomans gave it ta him 'cause he was bettah than dem."

Jou made a face.

"Fada gave it ta me 'cause – hey, what was dat?" The prince stopped his little lesson to look at Jou who was clutching his stomach and blushing madly.

"Sorry, prince, I…. hehe…. I just got nothing to eat in a couple of days and yeah…" Jou turned away in embarrassment, hoping Yuugi wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

" K, lets get something ta eat!" Yuugi hadn't noticed it before, but he'd been in his bedroom for a long time and he was famished. And now, since Jou was his friend and all, it wouldn't be so bad to find the older boy some food as well. After all, he was the prince, and he was allowed to go anywhere he wanted.

"But… But…" Jou stammered.

"Aww, c'mon." Yuugi forcefully tugged Jou towards the door, "I dunno where to get food but we got lots."

"But prince, I'm a slave; I don't eat when I want to." Jou made an effort to resist Yuugi but was afraid to hurt the younger boy. Yuugi seemed to be very adamant on getting him into trouble.

"Dat's what Anzu says too, but people said dat's only 'cause she wants ta be skinny and dat's it, 'cause fada told me she could eat wheneva but she didn want ta 'cause, I dunno, she said she didn't wanna. C'mon Jou, I think it's dat way. Dun worry, we got lots."

Yuugi ignored Jou's protest and continued to drag him along; oblivious to the fact that Jou's cheeks were still as scarlet as before. The boys left the room, bowl and brush forgotten as well as the fact that there was still unrest within the palace.

…………….oooooooooooo……………

"Master Shimon, please tell us what happened."

"I'm afraid there is nothing I can tell you. As soon as they entered the shadow realm, I lost contact with the pharaoh." The last few words came out in a whisper as Shimon stared down dejectedly at the shattered remains of the single most important treasure in the entire palace.

In truth, no one knew what happened, and if anyone did, it would have been Shimon. As soon as the pharaoh declared a shadow game, the entire throne room was bathed in an impenetrable, opaque cloud of purplish-blue. The priest had used his remaining strength to try and connect with the pharaoh from the outside world but he was drained from the magical wall he'd earlier erected and Bakura still had plenty of strength to block him out. Nothing could be seen or heard from within the shadow realm and when the clouds finally lifted, all that remained was a beat-up Millennium Ring and the pieces of what used to be the Millennium Puzzle.

Stricken, Shimon sought the highest nobles and the remaining priests for help. They were no more able to deal with the situation than he was. All they were able to do with crowd around the pharaoh's puzzle and take turns coming up with theories as to what could have happened. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that they were in a dire situation.

"If the pharaoh lost the duel, than where is the thief?" the High Priest, Seto, growled, glaring down intimidating at a stout noble by the name of Bato. He wasn't the first to suggest the idea and Seto was sick of hearing it for the fifth time.

"W-well, um, it c-could be that um-m-m…." Bato stammered, the flab on his lower chin jiggling and sweat pouring from his brow, as the High Priest's icy blue eyes drew closer to his. He withdrew quickly from "under" Seto's gaze and began mopping his face with a cloth. "I w-withdraw that comment," he replied quickly, scooting to hide behind one of the other nobles.

Shimon shot a warning glance at the Seto and sighed. He examined the expressions of the group, looking for anyone who might have come up with the answer. His own mind was still numb from the shock.

"I may have the answer," a noble by the name of Amar perked up after a long and pensive silence, "Perhaps the two "moved" to a different location taking the shadow realm with th-"

"-and they are in a pleasure slaves' quarters right now, in the ball that is the shadow realm which is probably hovering above the girl's nude body," Seto spat sarcastically, attempting to control his urge to strangle the bald man, "Gods, do you fools do nothing all day but gorge yourselves and indulge in women? I wouldn't be surprised since your brains seem to be saturated with the fat from yesterday's roast!"

"That is enough Seto." Shimon said gently, trying to calm the priest's rage but that only further annoyed the man.

"Look, Shimon, I don't even know why these "nobles" are here. They know nothing of the shadow realm and pretend to do so by making up ridiculous stories, expecting to impress us," he pointed an accusing finger at Amar, who surprisingly stood his ground better than Bato had.

"We need all the help we can get." Shimon replied.

"Help is only useful when the ones helping are actually _helpful_. 'Maybe they moved, taking the shadow realm with them,' do you consider that help? Do you?" Seto had lost interest in the nobles now, baffled by the idea that Shimon could be so blind.

"It was only a suggestion-"

"Well it was a bad one and us wasting our time on their 'suggestions' is pointless. We need _real_ answers from those who actually _know _what they're talking about." the priest had his back turned to the group; unaware that they were flushed with rage. A third man had begun to draw a dagger and was hiding it under his cloak.

"Perhaps you are the one that is wasting our time," Shimon looked up at him paternally, his voice cool and seemingly in control.

Seto's words caught in his throat and he clenched his teeth in anger. The man may have been older and in a higher position than he was, but he had no right to speak to him in what Seto interpreted as a disciplinary tone. Shimon always seemed to be against him, even when he knew Seto was right. The man was simply jealous of him, the priest thought..

Seto's resentful silence bothered Shimon but he was grateful that he'd caught the younger man's attention, "Listen to me," he continued, "We are all very upset over what happened but if you take your anger out on others, you'll just make the situation worse for everyone and nothing will be accomplished."

"And what have you done, old man? This entire time, you've been standing silent and letting these idiots come up with ludicrous solutions for you. At least I'm trying to make progress." Seto crossed his arms firmly across his bronze chest and returned Shimon's gentle paternal tone with mockingly stern one of his own.

"And have you made any progress?" Shimon stood his ground.

Seto grinned sardonically, "First I need to get rid of the garbage."

By now Shimon had noticed the increasingly visible dagger peeking out from the noble's robes. He figured Seto was not yet in the position of being in danger so he pressed on, "What garbage do you speak of?"

"The ones that are trying to ambush me with a poorly-fashioned dagger."

The man gasped quietly and quickly replaced the dagger, taking a few steps away from the two priests. The others' faces paled.

Shimon sighed, not in relief or exasperation but out of wiriness, "So what do you suppose we do?"

"Clean up this mess and crown a new pharaoh," Seto replied as if it was common knowledge.

The group collectively gasped, the nobles looking at each other and murmuring. Shimon was appalled at such a blunt and disrespectful answer, "What did you say?"

Seto was not at all surprised by the elder's reaction. Shimon had expected a theory, what Seto did was give a solution, "Is that not what we always do when the pharaoh passes on? Or would you rather we stand idly while the palace and the kingdom slip out of control?"

"The pharaoh may return," Shimon said solemnly, secretly wondering if that was even a possibility.

"I doubt it, and if he does, who is to say that Bakura won't either? It's obvious that neither won the battle and both suffered the same fate. The battered items are more than enough evidence of this." He pointed at the Ring across the room, "I don't know how you people could be so blind. He's not coming back!"

"Who's not coming back?"

The group turned sharply as two little boys appeared in the east entrance, the taller daring not to set foot into the throne room while the shorter bounding at full-speed towards Shimon. He ran straight into the old priest and tugged at his robes, oblivious to the gawking gentlemen, "Simon, Simon, where's fada, he said he'd come but he didn' come. Can't you tell fada to come? I'm hungry and Jou is too."

Shimon looked down at the child, completely speechless. Seto's suggestion immediately came to mind but he brushed it away. It wasn't an appropriate time to bring it up in front of the child. Or was it? "Hush prince, everything will be fine. I'll have Anzu bring you something to eat but right now we are very busy."

Yuugi frowned at Shimon's gentle chiding and didn't like the idea of having to wait any longer. He'd been left alone for long enough, "But I wanna see fada now! Where's fada, Simon, where's fada? I wanna see him now!" Yuugi screamed and tugged harder on the elder's robes, hopping up and down in frustration. Shimon could understand the child's annoyance but he was still a little disappointed at Yuugi's total disregard of his royal position.

After a long, awkward silence in the elders' part, Priest Karim pushed past the crowd and gently kneeled in front of Yuugi, his face turned to the ground in submission, "Hail Pharaoh Aten Yuugi," he said sombrely, "May he live forever."

The rest, save for Shimon, nodded and followed one by one, repeating the same phrase until all of them were prostrated at the little one's feet. As they rose, Yuugi finally noticed the large group of men. And how intimidating they were.

"S-simon, wha'r dey doing?" Yuugi backed shakily away from the men and made an attempt at hiding behind Shimon. But before he could do so, Shimon, took a step to the side, isolating himself from the child. Now was probably the best time for Yuugi to learn to live up to his role and be independent.

Yuugi stared up at him, dumbfounded and deeply hurt. The priest purposefully ignored this and tried to keep his tone as formal as possible, "Hail Pharaoh Aten Yuugi," He said with grave respect, "May he live forever."

"Wha'r you doing?" Yuugi cried, "My fada's da pharow, not me!" His tiny body shook violently of fear and his voice cracked as hot tears slid down his cheeks. He stood alone, in the center of a circle of mostly old and unfamiliar men. All of them looked down at him with disapproving eyes. Even Shimon had abandoned him.

"My Pharaoh," Karim said, "Many things have changed and we need your help."

"No! I dun wanna help!" Yuugi screamed "I want my fada. Where's fada, Simon, I want him now, I want my fada NOW!" He broke into a full-force sob and waited for someone to wipe his eyes and nose but no one moved or even made an attempt at consoling him. This made him cry even harder.

Shimon felt the guilt settle in as he watched the broken child. This was not the way and he knew it from the beginning. "Anzu!" he called, "Please escort the prince to his chamber. He needs rest."

The servant, who'd been just around the corner awaiting orders, quickly rushed in and scooped the whimpering boy into her arms. Yuugi's sobs subsided a little at Shimon's usage of his familiar title and he clung tightly onto Anzu for the comfort he'd been craving. He buried his face in the crook of her shoulder to avoid looking at the priests and nobles as he was being taken away and continued cry softly out of self pity.

"He will understand soon enough," Shimon assured the others as soon as Yuugi and Anzu were out of sight.

"Well, we can't wait for him to grow up," Seto replied sternly and turned to leave the throne room.

The others did the same, leaving the old priest alone. Shimon eyes fell onto the fragments of the Millennium Puzzle and he frowned. Somewhere down the corridors, he could still hear Yuugi's cries.

…………….oooooooooooo……………

Anzu sat on Yuugi's bed, holding the prince 1 tightly and gently rocking him back and forth. The boy had kept up his self pity act for quite some time after they'd left the throne room and no matter what Anzu did, Yuugi had not let up. He'd occasionally stopped to whine about his father before he resumed with the waterworks. Anzu's shoulder was soaked through. She wasn't even sure why he was crying anymore.

"Please, prince, tell me what's wrong." Anzu asked softly, stroking his hair and attempting to un-bury his face from her shoulder.

Yuugi was purposefully unrelenting, completely ignoring her and Anzu's patience grew thin. "Dey, dey hate me, dey all hate me!" he finally slurred after he stopped to catch his breath.

"No they don't, prince, they are just upset because well…."

"No, Dey all hate me and I hate dem too! Dey all like fada and not me cause I'm a child and not da pharow!" His muffled voice was louder this time and Anzu could tell he was forcing himself to cry even harder and therefore earn more pity from her. Humouring him probably wouldn't get her anywhere.

"Are you hungry, prince?" She asked finally.

"No," Was the stubborn reply.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Really? Because you've been in this room for a long time."

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Sorta."

"How about we get you something to eat?" Anzu said cheerfully, "The kitchen has lots of good food. What do you say? How about some roasted lamb?"

The boy stopped crying but refused to lift his head. "Jou's hungry too," he muttered.

Anzu knew who Jou was. The new slave brought over from the south was almost completely untameable and rebellious until he was handed over to the semi-mad Pegas. No one knew what the servant of the High Priest Seto did to the boy, but he'd kept the boy in his possession for ten days and after the ten, the child was completely subservient. No one had outwardly questioned the subject but those who knew about it still fear Pegas and keep a distance from the boy, including Anzu.

"Oh, who's Jou?" She asked good-naturedly.

"He's, um, my friend." Yuugi said shyly.

"Oh really, when did you meet him?" Anzu was trying to kill two birds with one stone. Humour the brat and get some answers.

"Yeah, he came taday to wash da floor and I showed him my chamber and he was hungry so we went ta get some food but I got lost." He turned his head away, remembering what happened after he DID get lost and felt the tears well up in his eyes again. He had even forgotten Jou back at the throne room after he'd gotten upset. Yuugi shifted into a more comfortable position on Anzu's lap.

"I dunno where he is now 'cause I left him back dere…" Yuugi blushed in shame. Anzu was amazed. For once, the little prince wasn't thinking about himself.

"It's alright, prince," she patted his back gently, "I'm sure Jou knows how to get around. Do you think he's really nice?"

"Yeah! Jou's really nice but he doesn' talk much 'cause he said he's not allowed or somethin." Yuugi looked up at Anzu and smiled goofily at her. If he made Jou out to be a really nice person, he thought, than maybe she and his father would let him play with Jou.

"But he's got no friends. He's all alone, like me."

"What about me?" Anzu inquired, "I'm always here for you."

"But it's different 'cause Jou is Jou and you're Anzu…. and a girl." He looked away shyly.

The servant smiled teasingly "What's wrong with girls?"

"Dey are girls and, and dey looked different and yeah…" Yuugi tried to squirm out of Anzu's lap but she held onto him tightly, amused.

"So you like boys better than girls than, prince?"

Yuugi gave her his classical innocent look, "You like boys betah too 'cause when you see fada, you turn really red and you dun do dat when you see girls."

Anzu blushed but also felt a wave of sadness at the mention of the pharaoh. She fell silent, shifting uncomfortably and fiddling with the corner of Yuugi's blanket. "You know I will always be here for you, right prince?" She asked softly.

Yuugi blinked, "Yeah! 'Cause you're Anzu. Did I make you sad 'cause I said I liked Jou?"

"No, prince, you didn't make me sad." She tried to smile but couldn't so she just rubbed his back reassuringly. "You didn't make me sad at all."

"But you're sad now and it's 'cause you're talking ta me." Yuugi pouted, remembering how the elders had treated him and wondering if Anzu was doing the same.

"That's not true, prince, I promise," she forced an awkward smile, "If I'm sad, it's because I care about you a lot. You know I care about you, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you know I'll always be here for you, no matter what, right?"

"You said dat already."

Anzu ignored the comment and continued, "And no matter what, you'll still have people that'll love you and take care of you and make sure you're safe. Everyone in the palace loves you a lot. Do you know that?"

"I guess…" Yuugi muttered.

"They do, for sure. But prince, your father, y-your father…." She trailed off, sucking in a deep breath to get rid of the big lump in her throat. "You understand, right? Everyone loves you a lot and they won't stop loving you, ever."

"Yeah, I guess if you say dat. But fada loves me lots more den dey do. He told me." Yuugi insisted cheerfully.

"Yes, that's what he said. And no matter what he'll always love y- "

"Yup, dat's what he said – "

"But, prince," Anzu stopped him before he could say any more, "He's, well, he's not um, a-around anymore. Do you understand that?"

She shivered from the cold. The first rays of the sun had yet to be seen and it seemed as if that night was the longest she's ever experienced. Perhaps nature itself was in the state of mourning and wasn't ready to bring light into the world until Egypt's fate was decided. Her eyes drifted to the hourglass. The top was full when she'd first left Yuugi in his bedroom, now not a single grain was left.

"Not really," He said quietly, slightly confused.

"Your father's not coming back, prince, he won't be coming back." Anzu's voice cracked as her eyes blurred with tears.

"Dun cry, Anzu, fada said he was comin back, he said." The boy reached up to give her a hug and she held him gently.

"No, prince," she sniffed, "He won't come back. I am very sorry. We still love you a lot, we love you- "

"No, Anzu, he said, dun worry, he said…" Yuugi reassured her, rubbing her back like she'd done to him earlier.

"No Yuugi," she sobbed, her face buried in the crook of his neck, "He's gone forever, he's dead, Yuugi, he's not coming back! Don't cry, everything is going to be alright, we still love you a lot, we love you a lot."

Yuugi roughly wiped the tears off Anzu's cheeks with his little hand, wondering why she didn't understand what he was telling her, "But he's gonna come back, fada said so. You didn' hear 'cause you were too far away but fada said so. Dun cry, Anzu, you're too old to cry."

Anzu grabbed the boy's shoulders and stared straight into his eyes with her red, watery ones. He was so upset before, she thought, yet now, he was unfazed. Or rather, in denial. She had to make him believe, for his own sake and for everyone else, especially the irritable old men who had scared him to death.

"He's dead, Yuugi," she screamed, "Your father will never come back again. But you still have, you still have…" A fresh batch of tears broke forth and she quickly grabbed him in a hug, letting his soft hair absorb everything.

"Did something hurt you Anzu, 'cause you're cryin so much and you'r makin' my hair wet." Yuugi tried to struggle away from her but she held on tightly, deaf to whatever he said."

"No… Yuugi," the servant said weakly, exhausted, "You father is dead, he's dead. Please don't cry, I don't want you to cry again…."

"I'm not cryin, you are! Why'r you bein' so weird? Dun cry, anymore, it makes me sad. Imma tell fada when he gets back dat you made me sad." The prince threatened, hoping she would contain herself. In truth, it did bother him to see Anzu cry so much, especially when she was the one who always looked out for him and held _him_ when _he_ cried. This was all too disturbing.

"Did he really say he'd come back?" Anzu asked quietly, blind to her own words.

"Yeah, he said. Dun worry Anzu, dat's what he said." Yuugi hopped off her lap and grabbed her hand, "C'mon, let's look for fada and food. I'm really hungry,"

The servant relented and let the child pull her off the bed. She made no protest when he dragged her towards the bedroom door and down the corridor. She wondered if Yuugi was right as she wiped the wetness from her face. After all, no one really knew what happened. Perhaps there was a chance. She knew there was a chance. The Pharaoh could not have been beaten so easily, that much she knew was true. Anzu's heart lifted at the thought of this and she readily followed the boy. There was always a chance. There HAD to be a chance.

…………….oooooooooooo……………

**A/N: **Yeah, that was long but I wanted to keep it all in one chapter just to wrap this part up. Thanks very much to all those who reviewed lat time. Also, I'm thinking of changing Yuugi's age so his logic would make a little bit more sense. You can refer to chapter two for the changes.

1 She was used to calling him "Prince."


	6. Innocence Lost

A/N: Does anyone still remember this story? --

By the way, a regent is a woman's job, but I'm just going to bend the rules for now.

Some of this was borrowed from the book "River God" by Wilbur Smith. If you love everything (and I mean everything) that has to do with Ancient Egypt, as told by a master story-teller, this is a definite must-read.

……………..ooooooooooo…………

A pair of blinding, white lights streaked through the darkness as two robed figures cautiously pawed their way through the unknown. The men knew this wasn't going to be an easy hunt yet they were driven by their duty. But this final step in maintaining one of Egypt's most important rituals had never been so difficult.

"We've been here too long; we must turn back before this world swallows us!"

"Just a little longer, I can feel a presence."

"There IS no presence, you're just fooling yourself."

"That way."

"Excuse me?"

"We move that way."

Before the younger man could protest, the elder turned his Millennium Item to his right, letting the light guide the way. The illumination provided by the Millennium Items had substantially dimmed since their first arrival, unsurprisingly since they were powered by their owners' life-force. The fact that this particular realm purposely drained their life-forces didn't help.

The icy cold winds of the shadow realm slapped against their faces as they moved forward, holding tightly onto their garments for warmth. Ghostly apparitions appeared here and there, their transparent hands reaching for them, in particular, for their hearts where their souls could be accessed. A grotesque hand snaked past Seto's defensive arm and attempted to reach into the fold of his cloak but a quick burst of energy from the Millennium Rod sent it receding with a high pitched squeal. Seto grumbled, stealing a glance at Shimon who seemed to be fairing quite well against the spirits.

"Old man, you are insane!"

Shimon ignored that comment, focusing completely on a faint wisp of magical energy somewhere ahead. He had to admit, he didn't know exactly where it was coming from or even what it was but it gave him a glimmer of hope.

A claw suddenly shot out from nowhere, catching Shimon off guard and sending him reeling back. Then, as if on cue, many others came forward at full speed, surrounding the man and knocking him over completely. Before Shimon could react, one of them snatched the Millennium Ankh from his throat and hurled it towards, the first one. Its partly-solid bony hand squeezed the Ankh tightly, causing bursts of sharp pains to erupt from the core of Shimon's body. He wrapped his arms around his torso tightly, clenching his teeth to suppress a scream. The light from the Ankh began to dim slowly, at instances, appearing to short circuit like a dying light bulb.

Weakened, Shimon peered through blurry eyes from his fetal position, knowing this could be the end. The claws closed in on him, preparing to finish off their prey. Now that Shimon was weakened, they had no need for the Millennium Ankh, rather choosing to aim for the owner of the item directly, savoring the final moments of his demise.

Mere inches away from Shimon's defenseless body, the claws suddenly stopped short. They began pulling back slowly, sending out vapors and hissing. The claws shriveled as the vaporization persisted, as if being evaporated by some unseen heat source. Shimon blanched at the smell of the fuming figures before him. The scent of burning carbon and old sewage filled his nostrils, forcing him to turn away.

As quickly as they appeared, they were gone; the only evidence of their presence being the lingering scent that didn't seem to leave him. Where the claws had initially appeared stood the high priest, looking irritated but smug at the same time. Seto casually picked up the Ankh and tossed it to the old man, turning to go before Shimon could utter a pitiful "thank you." The old man weakly got on his feet and followed quietly, secretly glad that the high priest was at least heading toward the direction Shimon had wanted to go before.

Seto's Millennium Rod tingled in his hand as they drew nearer toward the obscure destination. Perhaps the old man had something going when he insisted that he'd "felt" something but they were even now that Seto had saved his sorry arse, and that mattered more to him.

In the distance Seto spotted something that sent his senses into full alert. The Rod was reacting more strongly, causing him to quicken his pace until he was at full jog. Shimon, who had obviously felt the same thing, was right behind him, completely disregarding the unpleasantness that had occurred before. The light from the Rod magnified ten fold, almost burning Seto's hand as it guided him closer to a hazy figure ahead of him. He was running now, heart racing yet completely unaware of what was going on. Seto's mind reeled as the realization finally dawned on him. The only reason why the Rod was reacting that way was because it had sensed the presence of another Millennium Item.  
Before this idea could register, the figure came into view, causing Seto to stop dead in his tracks. Shimon, having almost run right into him, let out a low moan.

The figure hung suspended low in the air, arms outstretched and head sagging heavily against his chest. He was in a crucified position but nothing seemed to be holding him up. His torn clothes draped loosely over his body, revealing sleek muscles that were evidently ravaged by the battle he'd been in before. Dried streaks where tears had been cut through the fine patch of dust and bruises on his chiseled face and once vibrant violent eyes were defensively shut. His elegant royal cape, which resembled a tattered washcloth, barely clung onto his shoulders, one side having slipped off already. At various parts of his body, raw flesh showed though where his skin had peel off or cracked open. There was no actual bleeding from what Shimon and Seto could see but the areas where blood had caked onto his skin was an indication of how long he'd been there.

Shimon's heart sank when he saw the object at the pharaoh's feet. The Millennium Puzzle, which appeared to be in one piece, was a lot duller than it had been before. From where Shimon stood, the puzzle was more rusty-brown in colour than gold yet it still emanated some sort of power, the same power Shimon had sensed before. Before Seto could stop him, Shimon ran to grab for the puzzle, but as he reached for it, the object went hazy and disappeared in a tiny wisp of smoke.

Shimon looked up at the remains of the pharaoh and reached to touch his cape. He couldn't help but let the tears flow. One of Egypt's greatest rulers was reduced to this by a no-name bandit from a troublesome village of thieves. As Shimon ran his fingers through the cloth, he could see images of a crumbling empire, of people frightened and distressed and of a little orphan who was completely unaware of what lay ahead of him.

Shimon felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Seto looking remorseful yet keeping his firm expression at the same time.

"The real puzzle is with us, remember?"

Shimon had almost forgotten that fact but was relieved to know that they really hadn't lost the puzzle to the shadows. He looked up sadly at the pharaoh's face and saw a vulnerability he hadn't seen since Atemu was just a boy. He almost looked like…Yuugi.

"We should bring him back now; those creatures will come back for us soon."

Shimon climbed to his feet and the two priests held their Millennium Items out in front of the pharaoh's outstretched body. They closed their eyes in deep meditation as Shimon led them in the Soul-Unbinding Chant.

The chant was composed by a series of sacred texts hidden in secret vaults that were accessed only by the elite. No one was allowed to use this language unless it was a grave emergency or if it concerned such things as the Shadow Realm. It was rumored that any unworthy person who heard the language would have molten lead poured in his ears. If the language was forgotten by anyone who learned it, he would be killed in the most gruesome and imaginative way the person sentencing the execution. Clearly it was a big Shimon said the last word, they both lowered their items and stepped back with their breaths held. At first nothing happened and as the seconds passed, the men grew more and more anxious. Then, with the tiniest movements, the pharaoh's body went rigid and without warning, collapsed face-first to the ground.

The priests were startled but Seto reflexively ran forward to catch the Atemu's body before it hit the ground. The body sagged heavily against Seto's chest and he maneuvered it so that he could carry it on his back.

Both men were silent as they prepared themselves to return to the living world. They were so wrapped up in their troubled thoughts that they barely noticed the spirits still grabbing for their souls. One thing, however, occurred to Seto that Shimon had overlooked…

Where was Bakura's body?

……………..ooooooooooo…………

The window to Seto's chamber overlooked one of the most beautiful sceneries in all of Egypt. Below the navy-blue sky, just past the gentle slopes of golden sands, was the outline of the main square where most of the commoner activities took place. In the day, it burst with life and colour, while at night, it was a breathtaking, almost romantic fixture that calmed anyone who saw it.

Seto stood in front of the window, eyes fixed on infinity and mind troubled by thoughts of the events that had occurred in the past few days. The gentle night breeze wisped past his window, grazing over his chiseled bronze chest and brushing against the pendant nestled against it. Seto heaved a sigh and ran his fingers through his long brown tresses, trying to clear his mind. Despite the nighttime peacefulness of the palace and the refreshing night air, Seto was unable to sleep. He'd spent his nights at that spot until dawn broke when he was forced to resume to his daily duties. Staying up all night wasn't all that new to him; he just preferred to do it under different circumstances.

A soft knock came at Seto's door causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He turned sharply to see a young servant girl with her head lowered. She was carrying a tray with a cup sitting on it.

"For your insomnia, sir."

"I don't need it," he replied shortly.

"The elder priest insisted that you take it, sir," the girl continued, completely unaware of Seto's mood, "He said you need your sleep and he had the doctors brew this for you."

"Are you deaf? I said I don't need it," The priest snapped, "Now leave and take that with you."

"But-but sir," the girl stammered, "I was told I couldn't go without leaving this here with you. They said I would be punished."

The high priest walked over to the servant and loomed over her, locking his icy blue eyes on the girl. His voice was calm but venomous, "If you're so afraid of punishment then I suggest you obey me!"

The servant shrunk back trembling, almost spilling the boiling drink. From where Seto stood, he could smell the putrid stench of the elixir. The doctors at the palace had a knack for coming up with the most disgusting combinations of ingredients. This one was a thick dark green and smelled worse than what he'd experienced in the shadow realm earlier that day.

When Seto saw that the girl made no move to leave, he abruptly took the cup and threw it out into the hallway, satisfied at the loud smashing sound of clay. He didn't hesitate to shove the startled girl outside and slam the door as he turned his back to it. Grumbling, he headed back where he stood before the interruption.

Another knock came shortly after, causing Seto to turn angrily, preparing to yell at whoever was there. He stopped when he saw a familiar beauty grinning at him from the door.

"I saw the mess outside."

"What do you want?" The priest asked, hoping she'd leave.

"I want to talk to you."

"Well I do not."

"Since when did you want to talk to _anyone_?"

"What do you think?"

"High priest…" the woman continued, amused by the man's familiar antics. She sauntered gracefully over to where Seto stood, her figure highly accentuated through her almost transparently-thin garment. Her striking violet eyes radiated intelligence and seduction. Those orbs were further enhanced by elegantly long eyelashes and a thick waterfall of golden locks that framed her delicate countenance. Her long slender arms, were decorated with hair-thin jewelry. Her sense of style and attitude represented a move away from normality for higher-class women in the palace and that was the way she preferred it. The fact that she was in the high priest's chamber, at night no less, proved it. "You should get some sleep."

Seto arched an eyebrow, slightly irritated, "That's it? I thought you wanted to talk."

"You haven't slept in days, Seto," the blonde teased, as she folded her arms across her chest "Clearly you're not coherent enough to talk to me."

"And what makes you think you're coherent enough to talk to _me_?" Seto challenged, well aware of what she was trying to do.

"Because I'm me and you're you." She replied shortly.

The man had to laugh, "Need I say more?"

"I think I've said it clear enough for the both of us."

"Indeed."

"So Seto," the woman continued causally, taking a seat on his bed, "You represent a very important figure in this palace."

"So why should you care?" he replied coolly, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes.

The woman looked surprised and said in a concerned tone, "Because what happens in the palace affects all of us. No one in this place can rest easily until order is restored again, don't you know that?"

Seto leaned his shoulder against the edge of the window, crossing his arms and facing outside to hide his grin. "So of all the people who are concerned, why are you the only one to address me, Mai?"

"Well maybe I'm the only one who really knows what to do." She replied.

This caught Seto's attention and he turned to face her, tone full of skepticism, "Oh really?"

"Yeah really."

"How so?"

"Establish a regent, of course."

Again Seto laughed, "Ra himself would have _never_ suggested such an ingenious idea," was the sarcastic remark.

"Well, high priest, do you have any idea who should be regent?" she countered, not ready end this rally just yet.

"You? Wouldn't that be amusing." he said exasperated, feeling like he was wasting time explaining something to someone who knew the answer already.

Mai suddenly seemed to change her tune and smiled, her eyes sparkling, "I think you should be regent."

"That's possible," Seto replied, unsurprised, "So why should you care?"

Mai grabbed a handful of the man's silky sheets, clenching her fist in annoyance. Through gritted teeth she managed to hold her smile and utter, "I already told you."

"Look," Seto said, after heaving a huge sigh, "Get straight to the point already. The intentions of a concubine are very clear to me so whatever point you're trying to make, make it quickly."

Mai was momentarily thrown back by that comment but she recovered and stood her ground. "Clearly Yuugi is too young to ascend to the throne and with his immature, bratty attitude, who knows when he can. Besides, even though you say there are plenty of "candidates" in this place, do you really respect or even trust any of them?."

"So why should you care?"

"Because," Mai shouted, standing up and looking Seto hard in the eyes, "Everyone in this palace is affected and I am part of everyone."

The priest was far more than willing to return the gaze, "So you're saying that the reigning pharaoh is a determining factor in who you choose to sleep with?"

Ideally that would have been a huge insult but not this time. "You know as well as I do that there is truth to that," was the sly remark.

Seto growled under his breath.

Mai smiled and snaked an arm around Seto's lean torso, placing her other hand on his pectoral. She stroked it delicately, almost seductively and tried to lean her head against his shoulder but he pushed her away.

"You forget that I'm a priest," he said irritably.

"So did you."

"That was the past."

"Who cares, you're impure regardless."

Seto's rage flared and he slapped her with a force that knocked her onto his bed. She turned up at him sharply with a hand on her right cheek and eyes glaring daggers. "Don't you dare call me impure," he hissed.

"So the great and mighty high priest is afraid to face the truth?" she retaliated, "You revel in the idea of uncovering other people's faults but deny your own."

"And how about yours? You're just a pleasure-seeking whore who manipulates others for your own purposes. Other people may be too idiotic and blind mlrto see that, but your act cannot fool me."

"You're lucky they are blinder to what you are than to what I am."

"I am what is holding this place together right now," Seto replied sternly, regarding the woman with contempt.

"Exactly."

"I will not repeat myself again, what do you want?"

"And I will not repeat_ myself_ again," Mai retorted, "I want you to be regent."

Seto snorted.

Mai ignored it and continued, "Look, high priest, you might not believe me, but I really do want to see this palace at peace once again. It is something that will benefit all of us."

"And," she continued, "I don't think anyone else is better for the job than you. Besides you, being the cousin to the late pharaoh, would naturally take the throne for little Yuugi anyways, right?"

Seto's eyes narrowed at the women, "If Yuugi wasn't born, I would have been the next to take the throne should anything happen to my cousin."

"Exactly," Mai's eyes lit up, elated that she managed the steer the high priest in the right direction.

Seto chuckled and with a swift move that Mai would never have anticipated, grabbed the woman's wrist and lifted her off the bed, bringing her face close to his. "Despite everything you know about me, you still insult my intelligence? Don't you _dare_ use me to get vengeance against the pharaoh. Whatever heartache you have against him for abandoning you as his favorite concubine and marrying Lostris is none of my concern. You just can not accept that he never loved you so you want to take your anger out on his son. Well," Seto's voice was twisted in an attempt at controlling his anger as he pulled Mai closer to him until they were nose to nose, "Who do you honestly think _I _will side with?"

With as much force as he used to yank her off the bed, he threw her back down and was satisfied to see the fear in her lavender eyes as she stared up at him, genuinely stunned. "Remember, YOU are the tool in this palace, not me. And never consider using me as one again."

Without bothering to take one last look at her, Seto swung his velvet cape over his shoulders and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

……………..ooooooooooo…………

"Is everything ready Master Shimon."

"Yes."

"Thank you, master. Come Prince, we're going to go see your father now."

"I dun wanna!"

"I thought you wanted to see him, Prince. You were crying for him all night."

"But he lefd me, he said he would come back, he said, he said, but he didn! I'm angy at fada now!"

Anzu sighed and picked up the boy in her arms. She hadn't received much sleep for he last few months and this was definitely not what she needed.

"Prince," Anzu said gently, wiping the tears from the boy's soft little cheeks, "Today is a very important day for all of us. You need to be good now and do as master Shimon says. And if you do that, everyone will be proud of you. So what do you say? Do it for me?"

The boy looked down for a moment, playing with his fingers. Anzu leaned her head down to try to read his face and with the tiniest whisper, he mumbled, "K. But I am still angy at fada, k?"

She smiled sadly, Òkay, Prince, let's go."

After seventy days, the pharaoh's mummification was complete. The first thirty days was spent removing the organs and soaking the body in a natron salt while the latter forty was used to allow the pharaoh's body to dry out thoroughly. Once the body completely dried, the first layers of linen were intricately wrapped around the pharaoh's limbs and torso, leaving the neck and head exposed. Now, the ceremony of Opening-the-Mouth was to take place, which was usually done by the pharaoh's closest relation, in this case, his son 1.

Anzu held Yuugi's hand and followed Shimon in silence as the three solemnly headed toward the chapel. Dawn was slowly approaching, casting a blood-red streak against the gentle slopes of golden sand. A chilling wind wisped by them, causing Yuugi to shudder and cling harder onto Anzu. In response, the servant girl wrapped an arm around the boy, holding onto him tightly to lend her warmth. Very little lighting could be seen as they approached the building and whatever light that was there, cast eerie shadows on just about everything. When the group reached the doorway, Anzu turned the young prince over to Shimon and stayed there while the two continued on.

The grand room was lit by a total of six torches spread out amongst the four walls. It was decorated with heavy velvet drapes in various shades of lavender. In the centre was the mottled stone slab where the Atemu's body lay. At the head of the slab were five canopic jars, each carrying a vital organ. The priest of Ammon-Ra and the grand master of the guild of embalmers stood waiting, preparing the instruments for the ceremony2.

As soon as Yuugi saw his father's body, his excitement exploded and he immediately tried to run over to it. Luckily for Shimon, he'd seen this coming and held tightly onto the boy before he could do anything.

"I wanna see fada! Let go of me, Simon, what're you doing?" Yuugi tried to struggle loose but the man maintained his grip.

"Hush child, and do as I tell you." Shimon whispered sternly but Yuugi didn't seem to listen.

"I wanna wake fada up, Simon, I miss him so much! Fada wake up! Why didn you come see me for so long? I'm angy at you now! I dun wanna talk to you!"

"I said hush child!" Shimon tugged the boy backwards a bit more forcefully this time and knelt down on one knee to face him, "Yuugi, listen to me. This is very, very important and you must be good and obey. After this, you may do as you wish. Do you understand? Nod if you understand me."

The prince looked at him for a little while, feeling as if he'd done something wrong. Finally he nodded and Shimon, satisfied with the response, led him by the hand to where the pharaoh lay. Atemu's face had been painted with rouge and his eyes outlined with kohl to give him a surprisingly lifelike appearance 3. Yuugi attempted to reach out his hand to touch the pharaoh's cheeks but Shimon managed to stop him. He and the attendants sang the Incantation against Dying for a Second Time, allowing the younger to skip this part of the ceremony.

_He is the reflection and not the mirror.  
He is the music and not the lyre.  
He is the stone and not the chisel that forms it.  
He will live forever.  
He will not die a second time _4.

Yuugi looked up at Shimon, confused, "But why?"

"Just do as I say." Shimon guided Yuugi's hand to place the spoon of life on Atemu's lips. "Now repeat after me. 'I open thy lips that thou mayest speak once more.'"6

Yuugi backed away from the body shaking a little from fear, "But why? Why are we doing dis? What's wong wit fada?"

"Just repeat after me, Yuugi."

"But why, why?"

"Do it child!!"

Yuugi reluctantly placed the spoon back on the pharaoh's lips, "I... I… open dye lips dat dou mayse speak once more."

"Good. Now say 'I open thy nostrils that thou mayest breathe.'" 7

"But dat's gwoss!"

"Yuugi!!"

"I open dye nostrils dat dou mayse breate."

Shimon wirily guided Yuugi's hand so that the spoon now touched his eyelids. "Repeat after me now 'I open thy eyes that thou mayest behold once more…'" 8

"I open dye eyes so dat dou mayse behold once more…"

"…the glory of this world and the nether-world of the gods..." 9

"…da glowy of dis world and da neder-world of da gods…"

"…where you shall dwell from this day forward." 10

"…where you shall d-dw-ell from dis day forward."

Shimon breathed a heavy sigh, "Very good, just one more time now, Prince." He directed Yuugi's hand so that the spoon now laid over the pharaoh's heart, " 'I quicken your heart, so that you may live forever." 11

"I… I… I dun wanna do dis anymore." Yuugi burst into tears and grabbed the old man's torso. "I'm scared, I dun wanna do dis, Simon!"

"Stop this Yuugi! You are the prince and it is your job to fulfill this duty." He tried to yank the sobbing child off him but Yuugi latched back on.

"B-but fada fadaaaaaaaaa!" He looked up as Shimon with big, scared, watery eyes, begging for the man to understand. But this only irritated the priest even more.

"Your father was never like this when he was young, so why are you?" he said angrily, "Now repeat what I said!"

"No! I wanna go home! I want Anzu!" Yuugi wailed, on the verge of a tantrum.

Shimon grabbed the hysterical boy roughly by the shoulders and shook him, "Child," he said in a more controlled manner, "Once this is done, you may go home and everything will he explained to you. Is that understood? Right now, we need to complete the ceremony. I promise it will be over soon. Just bit more, Yuugi."

Before the child could reply, Shimon put the golden spoon back into his hand. "Repeat after me now, 'I quicken your heart, so that you may live forever.'"

"I, sniff quicken your heart, so dat you may live foreva."

"Good, very good. Now say, 'You shall not die a second time.'" 12

"You sall not die a second time."

"You shall live forever!" 13

"You sall live foreva."

"Excellent job my boy! Now we wait." He embraced the sniffling boy and rubbed his back gently, relieved that it was over but also irritated that the solemn atmosphere had been destroyed by the child's antics.

Despite Yuugi's negative responses to the sealing of the pharaoh's body, Shimon made sure that he had to watch, it was, after all, part of the ceremony. As the embalmers wrapped up the pharaoh's head and placed the first of the four funeral masks over it, Yuugi trashed and screamed, hollering "Stop it, stop it!". However, the old man kept silent, making sure the child never escaped his grasp. He kept this up for remainder of the process, as the body was placed into each one of the seven coffins, including the massive sarcophagus that was to transfer the pharaoh to his tomb. When this was all done, he led a shaken, waterlogged Yuugi back outside where Anzu anxiously waited.

The servant girl had heard everything that had gone on in the grand room and immediately ran to embrace the boy when he finally emerged. Yuugi collapsed into her arms, slurring inaudible words through his sobs. Although she'd been holding it in, Anzu, too, broke out in tears, partly for herself but mostly for the anguished boy.

"Anzu," Shimon said gently, placing an arm on her shoulder, "You are to explain everything to the Prince."

"Yes, Master Shimon," she said quietly, knowing this would be the hardest thing she would ever have to do.

……………..ooooooooooo…………

1 "River God," Wilbur Smith (London: Pan Books, 1994). 442.  
2 "River God" 442.  
3 "River God" 442.  
4 "River God" 442.  
5 "River God" 442.  
6 "River God" 442.  
7 "River God" 442.  
8 "River God" 442.  
9 "River God" 442.  
10 "River God" 442.  
11 "River God" 443.  
12 "River God" 443.  
13 "River God" 443.

Hope this sad excuse for footnoting is somewhat close to being right haha. Many thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, two years is just way too long to be updating.


	7. Worlds Apart

A/N: Again, sorry for the long wait. Was highly unmotivated. Wonder if my readers are still around….

By the way, some "modern-day" swears will be used.

……….ooooooooo……….

Despite his high sensitivity to movement (even in sleep), he was unable to detect the disturbance in his bedroom. The intruder moved slowly and with stealth, imploring moves he'd been trained to use his whole life. He opened the door carefully and poked an eyeball through the gradually growing crack to inspect his surroundings. He slipped one foot in, did a quick scan, then the other, and then pushed his thin body all the way through.

The reflecting moonlight bounced off the blade of his curved weapon as he made his way towards the high priest's bed. The intruder grinned as he looked down on the defenceless form, holding the weapon above the man's left chest. He kept the point hovered there for awhile, and then slid it up past the priest's throat to his left temple. He thought for a moment before sliding the blade down to the priest's covered manhood, with a silent laugh. Using the tip of the hook, he lifted the priest's loincloth and bent his head down sideways for a close-up look. He was surprised by what he saw and for a brief moment, felt a sort of earthy admiration for his sleeping enemy. Shaking his thoughts away, he quickly turned his attention back to the priest's heart, moving the blade into a striking position.

Seto's body jerked and his eyes flew open. In an instant he was fully alert, eyes frantically scanning the room with thick beads of sweat rolling down his face. Nothing there. He wanted to accept the idea that it had been a dream but the uneasiness hung on. It didn't take long for Seto to figure out why. The chamber door was definitely not the way he'd left it, but before he could fully take this in, a glint of something reflecting the moonlight caught his attention. Seto's eyes widened when he picked the object of fascination off his thigh and held it up in the air. The long white hair between his fingers danced innocently as an abrupt gust of wind broke through the bedroom window.

……….ooooooooo……….

Atemu's body felt like lead and his head throbbed in pain as he tried to sit up. Finding that he was unable to, he looked down to see the thick chains locking his arms and legs to the ground. His eyes were dry and the searing lights were blinding but he quickly adjusted enough to comprehend his surroundings. From what he could see, he was neither in his world nor the shadow realm. He tried to retrieve the memories of what had happened but his newfound consciousness also led to a sense of overwhelming pain. It almost scared him to see the state his body was in. Barely any skin could be seen intact behind the crusty layer of blood, some of which was still oozing. His cape, which was soiled beyond recognition, was in tatters, acting as the only protective layer between his battered backside and the gravel-laden ground. His jewelleries were largely intact, with the exception of a few things which had mysteriously been ripped off or were too damaged to stay clutched to him.

He didn't have the energy to try and free himself nor did feel the desire to do so. In his state of rest, he lethargically turned his head to one side and checked out his surroundings.

He could almost see the heat. The mysterious setting throbbed of suffocating heat, pulsating like a beating heart. Beyond where he lay was barren land that stretched in all different directions. The ground itself looked infertile and was as red as Ra itself, fuelling the illusion of immense heat. To his right was a river, or at least, what looked like a river. The would-be water was black and thick like molasses and didn't flow in the way he was used to seeing, but moved in a more orderly fashion, straight, flat, and metallically sleek.

Atemu's wiry eyes followed down the river's length and stopped to see the outline of a figure drifting towards him. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the figure was standing in a small boat, somehow balancing himself, or itself, unwaveringly on the traditionally unsteady surface.

For the first time since he'd woken up in this world, Atemu contemplated the idea of being dead. If he really was dead, he thought, than this would be the underworld and his soul would be judged thereafter. However, despite the thorough education he had in these matters, Atemu was afraid. The Pharaoh let his head fall back on the spot he lay in defeat, feeling his heart pound with fear and anticipation.

The unknown figure took its time approaching Atemu. When the desired spot was reached, the boat automatically stopped moving and its rider stepped onto shore with ease. The figure was hidden under a long black, ragged cloak that covered him from head to foot, leaving nothing but extremely thin fingers exposed. It stood over Atemu with an eerie silence, almost as if nothing existed under the mountain of rags it wore and, with a swift movement, produced a large axe from under its cloak.

The Pharaoh's heart almost stopped as he saw, with wide eyes, the blade held up high above him. The weapon came down hard and fast on him and Atemu braced himself for the worst. He slammed his eyes shut and winced. However, instead of excruciating pain, he heard the sharp echoing of metal on metal. Opening his eyes, he was astonished to find that, somehow, all four of the chains holding him to the ground were shattered.

Before he had time to catch his breath, the figure beckoned him to follow as it headed back towards the small boat. With a great deal of difficulty, he pushed himself to a sitting position, and paused to adjust to the pain before getting onto his feet. By the time he began limping toward the river, the figure was already back on the boat and was patiently waiting for him to catch up. As soon as Atemu climbed on, the boat moved again, apparently on its own, but this time, in the opposite direction.

Atemu slumped down to a sitting position out of exhaustion and pain but couldn't even maintain that position for long. His vision went blurry and soon after lying himself down, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

……….ooooooooo……….

The events of the previous few days had left Yuugi mute. However, this was not the sole reason for Anzu's worries. The young Prince had refused to leave his bedroom since the Pharaoh's death and ate barely enough to keep himself from starving. In addition, he only ate whatever Jou brought him, which proved to be problematic since the servant boy was not allowed in the kitchen. Despite Anzu's claims, the other caretakers in the palace were suspicious of him. Jou had been an incredibly wild and uncontrollable child until he was taken in for a day by Pegas, a rumoured semi-mad palace magician. Afterwards, Jou somehow became a docile, obedient servant, without any sign of his previous self. Although no one could pin point the reason why Pegas made them uncomfortable, it was unusual things like these that spread rumours about him.

Yuugi's chamber was specifically chosen to be in a place where the moon shone through his window. Since Yuugi had been born on the night of a full moon, his father took this as a blessing from the gods and wanted the moon's light to follow him. Now, as the small child slept uneasily, the moon's pale light caressed his face, giving him a cherub-like glow.

Anzu sat on a chair beside his bed and watched, with relief, at his soft inhales and exhales. The seemingly endless nights of insomnia, followed by constantly interrupted, short intervals of light sleep finally ended when Yuugi's exhausted little body gave out on him. Although she wasn't obligated to stay up all night to watch over him, Anzu was so glad to see Yuugi finally sleeping that she wanted to savour the moment. She'd always loved him like a little brother and loved the traits that made him who he was. Now that these traits were gone, she felt like she lost him along with his father.

She reached out to brush one of his golden bangs behind his ear but stopped when she heard a soft knock on the door. She was surprised to see Jou at such a late hour but let him in anyways, careful not to let anyone see him.

"Sorry I couldn't get more stuff for Yuug, Anzu." Jou said regretfully, holding a plate of random eatables to Anzu.

The girl smiled at him. In so many ways his innocence reminded her of Yuugi. Maybe it was just the fact that they were both children. "Jou, you should be sleeping too, you'll be too tired to work in the morning if you keep staying up like this."

"That's okay, Anzu, it's more easy to sneak into da kitchen at night anyways."

"Aren't you worried about getting in trouble?"

"Na, dey'll beat me no matter what anyways."

Anzu couldn't help but notice the bruises on Jou's arms and legs. She knew it wasn't fair how they treated him, especially when the suspicions should have fallen on the white-hair magician. Jou wasn't a bad kid; trouble just had a way of finding him. "Thanks, Jou." She finally said.

Anzu took the platter from him and Jou approached Yuugi's bed curiously, plopping himself on the ground beside the bed. "He's finally sleeping, huh?"

"Yeah," the girl replied wirily, "Try to keep your voice down though, I want him to sleep through the night."

As soon as Anzu gave him that warning, Jou crawled toward the sleeping child for a closer look. "Hehe, he's kinda cute like dis, don't ya think, Anzu?" The blonde, who was now nose to nose with the prince, remarked.

Alarmed, Anzu clapped a hand over Jou's mouth and yanked him away from the bed, "Didn't you hear what I just said?" she whispered loudly.

Jou pulled her hand away from his mouth and gasped for air, "Yeah, ya said don't talk so loud, and I didn't," He retorted.

"But you can't get that close to him either." She stated, in a stern, almost motherly, tone.

"Why not?"

Anzu curtly slapped him in the back of the head, "You really are a dumb kid!"

"Hey!" Jou said, raising his voice an octave and rubbing the back of his head.

"I said be quiet!" Anzu hissed.

"Well don't call me a 'dumb kid,' bitch!" he barked.

She was momentarily surprised by his audacity but wasn't ready to back down and let him do stupid things, especially when it came to things that would affect her charge (being the prince) "If you keep this up, I _will_ kick you out of here, Jou."

"Hey, I got every right to be here, I'm his friend too, ya know!" He was more wining than shouting.

The two froze when they heard movement coming from the bed. Yuugi turned over in his sleep but kept his steady breathing. Both Anzu and Jou, who had been holding their breaths, sighed in relief.

"You should really go now, Jou, I mean it this time." Anzu said, but not unkindly.

"Yeah, I guess ya're right. Yuug's got ta sleep." Jou turned to leave. But before he could take two steps, stubbed his foot on the chair Anzu had been sitting in earlier and groaned in pain. Instinctively, he grabbed the injured foot, balancing himself on the other one as he rubbed it vigorously. However, because this was Jou, he soon lost balance and fell backwards against the table where the food sitting. The platter, which was partly hanging over the edge, did a flip through the air when his elbow struck it and landed on the hard ground with a thunderous clang. This cascade of events almost sent Anzu into cardiac arrest.

"Oh Gods, Anzu - " Jou began, looking as apologetic as possible.

"Oh, forget it." Anzu said, exasperated. Yuugi was already up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He gave a little smile when he saw Jou and shyly waved at him.

"Uh, hiya, Prince. I brought some food for ya but uh…" Jou looked disappointingly at the mess on the ground, "I guess most of it's useless now. I'm sorry."

Yuugi shook his head and patted the bed, urging Jou to sit beside him.

"I dunno if I can do that, Prince." Jou briefly checked with Anzu, who didn't seem to mind, "Oh, alright, just for a little while." Jou hopped up beside Yuugi and the younger gave him a hug.

"Everyone's really worried about ya, Prince, you gotta get betta!" Jou only had a vague idea of what he meant by that. But Yuugi just shook his head, sniffling as if about to cry.

"Yenno, I got no parents either, and I'm okay." Jou said boldly. Of course this only reminded Yuugi of his loss and the tears brimming on his large violent eyes started falling in silent streams.

Anzu looked like she was going to throw a punch in Jou's direction. Fortunately, Jou wasn't as dumb as people thought he was. "H-hey, dere's still some good fruit on da table, it took me a really really REALLY long time ta get it, here try some, its super good." Jou grabbed a slice something orange off the table and shoved it in Yuugi's mouth, catching both the Prince and Anzu off guard.

Yuugi's eyes were wide with shock and Anzu giggled at the sight of the Prince with what looked like a big orange grin on his face. Yuugi looked down at his mouth, which made him look cross-eyed, and this made Anzu giggle even louder. Jou seemed proud of himself when Yuugi took the fruit out of his mouth with and nibbled on it, with dry eyes.

"Is it good, Prince?" Anzu asked, glad to see him happy.

Yuugi nodded, licking his chubby little fingers when he was done.

"Here, let me clean that off for you." Anzu grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped each one of Yuugi's fingers individually, then finished off by gently dabbing his mouth. The Prince gave a yawn and Jou knew this was his cue to leave, but Yuugi grabbed his arm before he could do so.

"Jou has to go now, Prince, but he'll be back soon." Anzu said gently.

"Yeah, I'll come back tomorrow and bring ya back more stuff, promise!" Jou said with a big smile, at the same time trying to pry the small but iron grip on his sackcloth.

But that wasn't going to do it.

"D-don't you love me, Prince?" Anzu asked, feigning as if she was about to cry. Yuugi nodded vigorously. "Then why are you making me sad?" Yuugi gave a pleading look at his caregiver and tugged at Jou's clothing.

"I guess you don't love me very much after all," she added, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. "And here, I-I care about you isoi/ much, Prince but I don't mean very much to you, do I?"

The little Prince grabbed the girl's hand, as if to reassure her but Anzu mockingly shook her head, "No, Prince, you do that a lot, it doesn't mean that you care about me." Her voice was high pitched and extra whinny.

_Damn_. Jou thought.

"I-if you really love me, you'll listen to me and make me happy. But I'm not happy right now, Prince, I'm not happy at all!" Anzu sobbed into her sleeve, peeking out to see if Yuugi would falter.

"Uh-uh, yeah," Jou stuttered, his eyes darting back and forth, "I-I wouldn't wanna make Anzu sad, Prince."

Seeing that it was two against one and feeling strangely bad, Yuugi dejectedly let go to Jou and watched Jou wave at him as he walked out the door.

"Alright then, its time to sleep now, Prince." Anzu said, having made a quick and full recovery.

But Yuugi just gave her an ugly look.

"Aww, I'm sorry I had to send Jou out, I did it because I care about you. Promise."

Somehow Yuugi knew there was something wrong with the picture and he just drew his knees up to his chin and pouted.

Anzu was all-too used to this. She climbed onto the bed and hugged the Prince from behind, drawing him onto her lap. "See that really bright star out there?" she pointed out the window, "Well that's the brightest star in the sky. When I was little, my mother told me that star is gateway between our world and the underworld and that people we love can watch over us through that star. Isn't that interesting, Prince?"

Yuugi looked out the window with a little interest. "Even though he's not here right now, I'm sure your father is watching you from there every day. And he'll be really happy if he knows you've been a good boy."

Anzu leaned the boy's head against her chest and sang him a lullaby she remembered her mother sang to her.

_Summer red star  
Why are you so red?  
Because I had a sad dream last night  
My eyes are red from the tears I shed  
Swollen as I cried_

Anzu couldn't help but sadden at the memory of her late mother and the sweetness by which she sang Anzu to sleep when she was Yuugi's age. She stroked Yuugi's back and continued, knowing he was half asleep already.

_Summer red star  
Why've you lost your way?  
I'm searching for a child whose gone afar.  
He can't be found though I've searched all day.  
My sad dreams come once more. *_

She kissed his forehead and lay the sleeping child down, tucking him in so he'd be comfortable. _Poor Yuugi_ she thought and sighed. She may have lied a lot that day, but she wasn't lying about the star. She firmly believed someone out there was watching over time, whether that be her mother or the Pharaoh, and she made a silent wish that they'd be kept safe.

……….ooooooooo……….

After a six hour meeting, the elders finally reached an agreement. Shimon nodded at the rest of the men to adjourn the meeting. "Thank you gentlemen. Priest Seto, Pharaoh Atemu's cousin will be regent then. I shall let him know tomorrow."

A/N: *The Song is the English version of "Natsuhiboshi," taken from Naruto.

**Recap on their ages: Yuugi = 4.5 Jou= 7 Anzu = 12 Honda (from previous chapter) = 19, I hope I'm not contradicting myself**


	8. Yuugi

**A/N: **A ZILLION thanks to those who are still reading this and being kind enough to review! You guys are wonderful! By the way, there will be a lot of explanatory notes at the end.

…………………ooooooooooo…………………

Atemu was startled awake when the boat hit shore. Once again finding himself waking in an unknown place, he tried his best to determine where he was. The sleep did nothing for the pharaoh and he was just as exhausted as his eyes first closed. It appeared, however, that he wasn't going to be allowed any more rest.

"You must make the rest of this journey alone." The cloaked figure spoke for the first time and Atemu was surprised to hear a female voice. The figure lowered _her_ hood to reveal a lioness' head. Her yellow eyes looked upon him with compassion like a mother to her son. "My name is _Weret-Hakau_. I am your kin, but I cannot protect you past this place."

He was sure he'd heard that name before but he had difficulties accessing his memories. Many things were fragmented, others blurred, while still others were downright impossible to recall. Weret-Hakau ushered him off the boat and gracefully climbed back into it, seeming to prepare for the next soul to enter her boat.

"Watch your footing and tread carefully," she said with great sympathy, "But fear not, the magician is with you." With that, the boat glided away with the same ominous smoothness he recalled from before. Her ambiguous words signalled to Atemu that he was no longer of the living and he was overcome with despair and fear. Whatever this "magician" that she mentioned was, was nowhere in sight and he was convinced he'd have to traverse this land on his own. Before him was a vast desert and despite a complete lack of wind, the sands looked like they had never been walked upon. Atemu took a step forward to test the depth of the sand and found it shallow enough to walk through without much difficulty. He was not comforted by the relative ease of this journey and felt an increasing sense of foreboding, anticipating danger with every step.

Despite his hypervigilance, the first threat came upon him unexpectedly. Atemu reflexively slammed his eyes shut as he found himself suddenly shoved to the ground and pinned down by an unbearable weight. He opened his eyes to the sight of yet another lioness but this one with far more malice in its eyes than the previous. How this creature appeared out of nowhere was a fleeting thought as it's blood-red eyes narrowed at him and its serpent tongue lashed dangerously at his face. It soon became obvious why he had trouble breathing. The lioness' enormous front paws bared down on his chest with intentional force rather than just sheer weight and its long claws dug into his skin. Through its thick lips, he could see impossibly long and pointed canines which dripped with saliva. The creature spoke but the incredibly raspy tone was difficult to understand. Terror took him in a stranglehold and he immediately knew he was going to die, despite the previously established knowledge that he was already dead.

The lioness grazed her fangs against the pharaoh's throbbing artery and he shuddered at the sensation. Intent on drawing out her prey's suffering; she lapped and teased his tanned neck with her forked tongue, invoking ambiguous sounds from her victim. Underneath the blood and sweat, she could detect his true scent, an attribute which all humans possessed but only deities could perceive. It was one of a true leader, a descendant of a strong bloodline, a virile male who died in strength and not weakness. The goddess purred into his ear, whispering things he could no identify. She thought herself lucky to be the first at this one, unfortunately, she had a duty and this mortal would not last long. She prepared to clamp her jaw down on Atemu's neck but a groan from the man stopped her.

"_Leave me… Pakhet, one who tears apart_."

As if physically attacked, the feline goddess immediately withdrew from Atemu's body, allowing him to suck in a precious gulp of air. She cursed herself for not having struck sooner and stole away. Atemu sat up, bracing himself with one arm and holding his hand to his chest with the other. He looked around, completely oblivious to what had happened. A noticeable chasm appeared in the desert that he was sure wasn't there before. Somehow his experience gave him a new vigour to continue and Atemu felt his loneliness and fear slowly dissipate.

It wasn't an illusion. From where he stood, a large cliff separated him from the rest of the land, a place he knew he had to cross over. He peered down from the edge but, as expected, could not see the bottom. To his left and his right, the crack in the land stretched to infinity. A wave of dejection washed through him and he fell to his knees in defeat. _'Would it have been better,'_ he thought, _'To be torn to shreds, than to be trapped here for eternity?'_

Although many souls had reached the place he knelt at now. Few triumphed over it and the vast majority were driven insane and threw themselves over the edge. Where they ended up was difficult to determine but these souls would never have the chance to reside with the great deities: Osiris, Ra, Thoth and Hathor. Fingering the edge of the cliff, he broke off a piece of earth and threw it into the darkness, feebly attempting to measure its depth. No sound came back.

In the midst of the emptiness, Atemu could hear a faint voice. He whipped head around to locate the source but found it impossible. Strangely enough, the voice came from within him and as it increased in clarity, he realised it was some sort of spell. Again, he felt an uncanny familiarity to this but couldn't figure out why. The hypnotic voice certainly wasn't his own and there was no way, in his current condition, could he recall such a complex incantation. Whatever this phenomenon was, Atemu was sure he wasn't being _controlled_ but rather _guided_. Despite his estrangement to this spell, he felted compelled to synchronize with it, more specifically, solidifying its strength by speaking the words in unison with the unknown voice.

The spell flowed out of his mouth like running water. He placed all his faith in something he couldn't understand or control but that seemed to be a requirement in this world. Something suddenly leaped at him from the depths of the chasm and he fell backwards in shock, afraid of another attack. The figure landed gracefully beside him and bowed deeply. She was another cat, and Atemu began to wonder if there was anything other than cats in this world. Unable to trust her right away, he backed away as she approached him.

"I believe you already know my name, my Lord," she spoke eloquently. Her movements were more of a woman than a feline and it was difficult to distinguish which she was more similar to.

"_My Lord?" _Atemu gave her a quizzical look. He could neither recall being a lord nor a kin to this creature.

To his dismay, the Pharaoh had to admit that something about her purposely exuded a veiled sexual appeal. It wasn't an aggressive or overtly seductive aura but one that seemed to come with her naturally. Her amethyst eyes, brimmed with thick lashes, held certain sadness in them but he could not pinpoint the reason for this. Unbeknownst to Atemu, this beauty had been his blessed guardian since birth and continued to watch over him for the nineteen years that followed.

"_Bastet_." The word forced itself from his throat.

She'd been acknowledged by the one she protected for almost two decades but this did not alleviate her sense of melancholy. The person before her, the one who'd been taught in childhood of her role, abilities, history, of how she loved him and fought for him, had no idea who she was. Although this was expected, Bastet accepted it with reluctance.

"Climb on my back, my Lord, and I'll carry you across the gorge." Bastet bent low to allow him easy accessibility.

There was something unsettling about mounting this creature and Atemu couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed about it. Her appearance seemed to shift between the form of a cat and a woman, like a physical manifestation of an optical illusion. If he was to be honest with himself, he was quite shy about physical contact.

Of course, Bastet anticipated this and, with some amusement, solidified to a more acceptable form. Atemu half-heartedly swung a leg over the feline's back and slowly lowered his weight on her. She was incredibly soft, perhaps purposefully so. Without hesitation, Bastet leaped high in the air, almost knocking Atemu off and sprinted toward the cliff. Atemu couldn't believe what she was about to do. The distance from one side to the other was virtually impossible to traverse for anything that couldn't fly (or at least he thought so) and Bastet was going at it at full speed.

"What are you doing?" He asked breathlessly.

"You can trust in me, my Lord." Bastet bounded off the edge of the cliff with her hind legs, pushing Atemu forward on her back and causing him to grasp desperately onto her neck. Just as it looked like she was going to cross the expanse in one leap, she was overtaken by gravity and fell forward. Atemu lost his grip and slid off her back but Bastet managed to grab his arm with her jaw and throw him back on. It looked as if they were both going to fall to their doom but Bastet was not inexperienced with this dangerous move. She threw her weight towards the side of the cliff and found a narrow ledge by which to propel her body upwards. Running vertically now, she hopped from one uneven protrusion to another, using her speed to overcome the powerful force pulling her downwards. Atemu held on as tightly as he could, no longer doubting her abilities but eagerly looking forward to a more stable sense of safety. With one last jump, she pulled both of their bodies impressively far onto the other side of the cliff.

The Pharaoh relinquished his chokingly tight grip on the feline's neck and rolled off her back in exhaustion. Bastet didn't seem fazed. She walked over to her charge and affectionately licked his face. In response, Atemu stroked her head warmly, causing Bastet to purr. She felt happier already. Somehow, re-establishing their relationship, or at least establishing a new one, compensated for his lack of recognition before.

"This is the most I can do for you, my Lord," Bastet spoke softly in his ear.

"It was more than enough." Although Atemu believed this, it wasn't really _him_ who said it.

"The magician is good." She said with a gentle smile.

"What do you mean?"

Realising she may have said too much, Bastet gave a respectful bow and took her leave. Atemu watched as she strolled casually toward the cliff and more or less drop off its edge. This was the second mention of "the magician" but Atemu could not, no matter how hard he tried, recall any affiliation to any magicians.

As if on cue, he felt a strong urge to keep going. Still taxed from the ordeal, he brought himself to his feet slowly and surveyed the scene before him. Nothing changed, even though he half expected it to. There was, however, the sound of running water. In his current state, water would have been a welcoming sight. Having nowhere to go but forward, that was what he did.

The unmistakable sound of running water _had_ to be coming from somewhere but there was nothing but desert all around him. _'Could I be… hallucinating?'_ He thought, looking around for the source of sound every few seconds. The next step answered his question. He suddenly lost his footing when he stepped on, what felt like, _water_ and fell forward, thrashing his arms to keep above the surface. The substance around him was no different from the rest of the land (being desert) yet it _felt _like water. The completely foreign experience left him wondering what to do to but this thought lasted very briefly as he was strongly compelled to react as if he was fighting against water. Despite the strong current, he was adamant on finding the shore (and he believed there _was_ as shore) and fought against it to move forward. Against his skin, it was cold and "wet" like water but what entered his already dry mouth, was sand.

"The _Duatum_ is merciless." A hallow voice came from within its depth, blurred by the sand trapped in his ears and throat.

Atemu continued to thrash against the waves, initially ignoring what he'd just heard. This land certainly wasn't forgiving to humans but he'd established that a long time ago. It wasn't until something wrapped itself around his ankle and forcibly yank him beneath the surface that he acknowledged a second danger.

The sand rushed at his face and he could scarcely breathe much less see anything. A scaly tail whipped against his side and he winced in pain, reaching out in an attempt to locate his attacker. It moved swiftly, skilfully inhibiting his attempts at reaching the surface while keeping itself elusive at the same time. Just when he was about to give up in exhaustion, the thing grabbed him by the torso and threw him onto solid ground.

Atemu almost passed out from the impact of his landing. Fortunately, the turbulence helped to force out the sand lodge deep in his throat. He painfully flipped onto his stomach and coughed uncontrollably. Just as he thought he was beginning to understand this world, he was thrown back to a state of confusion. This creature, which had easily kept him at its mercy, just saved him. Of course this raised the question of whether it was possible to die in this world at all.

"You die a Second Death." Came a bone-shuttering voice.

Atemu was stunned at the realization of how easily this beast could have "killed" him. Even the sound that emanated from it caused his whole body to freeze in terror as if a reaper was passing right through him. He kept his head bowed, fearing the trauma that would ensue at the sight of it. Somehow, this submissive position felt foreign to him but he could not fully understand why.

"We claim your soul for Lord Seth to strengthen his forces against the minions of Sun God. My Lord is so despised that this has come to be known as the Second Death."

"_You are Ap… Ap…Ap…"_

The pharaoh dug his fingers into the dirt to anchor himself as the beast came closer to him. His breathing quickened and his heart raced as he felt the overwhelmingly strong aura almost choking the bit of life left within him. There was no doubt that this was a god.

"But there is one whose unsettled vengeance is so deep he cannot die until he has your life. I will grant my servant's prayer."

"_Diabound…."_

The god stood so close to him now that Atemu could see the tip of his scaly tail. He felt himself curl in a ball and shake violently at the proximity of such a dreadful being. A wave of nausea washed over him and he wanted nothing more than to escape into unconsciousness.

"Can the magician utter my name?"

"_You. Are. Ap- Ap-A-a-p…"_

This was enough for the god and he glided past Atemu. It wasn't until he was well in the distance that the pharaoh could relax again and regain his composure. He waited several moments for the imposing god to disappear before he dared looked in that direction. Although the threat was apparently over, he couldn't let go of the unsettling feeling lingering in the back of his mind. This time, he was _spared_ by his attacker instead of having actually overcome the ordeal. In addition, he felt certain that if the god wanted to "kill" him, he would have done so. The inexplicable force that buffered against the perils of this world did not show the same strength it did before. Lastly, someone wanted revenge against him and this person was so desperate that even the god yielded to his wishes.

…………………ooooooooooo…………………

There is a belief that, despite individual differences, a mortal soul can always recognize the gates of Osiris' temple. This was why Atemu allowed himself some rest after his arduous journey. Ahead of him was a set of golden double doors highlighted in contrast to the dark stone that made up the rest of the temple. From this distance, it looked as if this gateway stood alone in the middle of nowhere, a symbolic portal to another world. He took his time approaching it, prematurely assuming he'd reached the end of his journey but too wiry to think otherwise. The dog-headed guards on either side of him opened the massive gates as he approached, demonstrating that they were stronger than they looked.

The first thing he noticed upon entering was the lit pathway from the door to the more elevated level where the throne of Osiris sat. However, when he turned his attention to either side of the atrium, he noticed a host of people, or perhaps spirits, lined on either side of the room. Whether they had a purpose or not, he couldn't tell, but their presence increased the sense of intimidation he was sure the gods intended to convey.

Osiris, sat at the far end of the room. This was the great god who ruled the Egyptian underworld and the eldest son of the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. Despite his pharaoh-like position, his appearance was far from pleasant. His body was wrapped in burial cloth like a mummy with only the face and neck left uncovered. The skin that showed was black and green, the colours of purification and death. He wore an atef crown and carried a crook in one hand and a flail in the other, both crossed over his chest. At first glance, it was easy to mistake him for a corpse, but his surprisingly vibrant ice-blue eyes said otherwise. To his right stood Anubis, the canine god who presided over the mummification of bodies and guarded burials. He stood erect, with the toned body of a man but the head of a black jackal. He wore a red and gold headdress and held a long crook in his right hand and a set of scales in his left. To the left of Osiris was, of course, was his sister and consort Isis. She was immensely beautiful by the standards of both the divine and the mortal. A thin linen dress draped over her lithe form and hugged the delicate curves of her body. Her silky black hair was, ironically, held in a braid tossed over her shoulder.* As mother to all humanity, she was the most widely worshipped of all the Egyptian deities.

A single canopic jar stood at the end of the walkway held up by a tall, narrow stand. As Atemu came closer to it, he could hear a throbbing sound coming from within. His familiarity to it was disturbing. Osiris gestured toward the jar with his crook and one of the "spirits" from the side grabbed the jar and brought it up to him, making sure to keep his eyes averted and backing away slowly in an almost over-the-top manner.

"Do you know what this is?" The underworld god eyed Atemu with his unusually light blue eyes. He did not speak too loudly but the baritone in his voice carried it far.

The pharaoh shook his head.

Osiris seemed satisfied with this and turned to either side of him, making sure they were all in agreement. He handed the jar to Anubis, who roughly unscrewed the top and withdrew the soft, delicate organ within. Atemu flinched at the sight of the beating heart, not fully aware of his connection to it but feeling agitated at Anubis' lack of care. Without any prompting, another "spirit" from the side brought Anubis a large, billowing feather on a silver platter, offering the same reverence as the one from before. As soon as Anubis took hold of the feather, the scales in his hand glowed and a pair of disembodied eyes could be seen from behind him. A form slowly shaped around the eyes but remained unidentifiable.

"This," said Anubis in a solemn tone, "Will judge the fate of your ba. If this feather outweighs your heart, you shall pass into the _Field of Reeds_, but if the opposite is true, you will fall prey to Ammut."

Atemu eyed the feather nervously as Anubis placed it on the right side of the scales. This barely tipped the equilibrium, if it did at all.

"Do you have any inquiries before I judge you?" Anubis asked, hovering the pulsing heart asymptotically close to the other side of the scale. This question usually acted as a décor since a mortal enters the underworld _with no memories of his past_ and, even if he wanted to, cannot escape the judgement. However, this was the protocol.

"I do have one, your Greatness."

All three gods were surprised by this and a murmur erupted from the crowds on either side of Atemu, nonetheless, Anubis was willing to acknowledge him, "Speak."

"I would like to know," Atemu began slowly, selecting his words with care, "If my son will be… protected, in my absence."

The entire room fell silent.

Osiris rose from his seat and pointed his flail at the pharaoh, "Repeat your question."

Unable to tell what he did wrong, Atemu obeyed, "I would like to know if my son will be protect in my absence, my Lord."

The murmuring picked up again, more violently than before. Isis had a slender hand over her mouth and Anubis could barely hold the scales still. Behind Anubis, the shadowy creature flared uncontrollably. Osiris stood up from his throne, and regally stepped toward Atemu. He towered over Atemu with his incredible height.

"What is your name?"

Atemu stopped, "I… don't know."

"What was your status in the living world?"

"I don't know, my Lord."

"Were you good or evil?"

"I don't know, my Lord."

Atemu began to shake under the overbearing pressure from the god but he could do nothing but tell the truth.

"Did you sire a child?"

"Yes, my Lord."

Osiris stood back and stared directly at Atemu. It was difficult to determine what he was looking for.

"Did you have a wife?"

"I don't know, my Lord."

"But you sired a child?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"By whom did you sire this child?"

"I don't know, my Lord."

"Did you do so with a woman?"

"I suppose that must have been the case, my Lord."

A number of people in the crowd coughed. Although Atemu was starting to sound illogical and repetitive, he was too confused to figure out what was going on.

Osiris spoke slowly, "What is your boy's name?"

"Yuugi."

The god walked back up the steps and eased himself on his throne, he turned to Anubis. "Place his heart on the scale," He commanded.

Anubis' hand floated on top of the unoccupied side of the scale but he could not lower the organ onto it. There was nothing overtly unusual about it; however, he could not complete his task. In the end, he relented to this resistance and placed the heart back in the jar, sealing it up. Anubis turned to Osiris for an answer.

Osiris, however, did not offer an answer. He was occupied with the mortal in front of him. This was something he hadn't experienced before and, for the first, he had no idea what to do.

…to be continued

…………………ooooooooooo…………………

**A/N:** Atemu's journey through the underworld was something I dreaded writing but I had to get it over with. Mythological references were taken from "Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt." By Geraldine Pinch.

1) After death, souls of the deceased wander through the _Duat _(Egyptian underworld) to reach the presence of one of the gods who could grant eternal life. Some deities were helpful, while others were hostile. The soul of the deceased had to act like _a magician_ and overcome threats by _knowing protective spells_ and the _true names_ of the beings he or she would encounter. In this case, Atemu didn't have this info but the one who guarded him (guess who!) did.

2) Weret-Hekau, Pakhet and Beset are all feline deities associated with some form of protection to the royal family. For the purposes of this story, Pakhet was made evil.

3) Apophis: The most dangerous of the chaos monsters who constantly threatened the divine order. He was sometimes described as a huge crocodile but was usually shown as a giant snake.

4) Field of Reeds: A temporary paradise for souls.

*Before a girl reaches puberty, she keeps her hair in a braid. After this point, she lets her hair down.

Note: The Second Death is actually a reference to what happens who the heart his judged as evil and devoured by Ammut. I just used it differently here.

Yami: Wait, were you hinting at bestialit –

Me: No I wasn't.

Yuugi: Fada??

Me: There is going to be an Olympic break here in Vancouver this coming February. I'll write the next chapter then. Meanwhile, please leave some comments!


	9. The Servant of Apophis

**A/N:** Again, thanks to all who are reading and/or reviewing :)

I realised that Aten was not the creator God, nor is he a very pleasant God to name Yuugi after. But since I've already tweeked stuff in other chapters, I'll keep it that way. Again, lots of explanatory notes at the end.

……………oooooooooo……………

Apophis was the most dangerous of the chaos monsters who constantly threatened the divine order. As the negative counterpart to the snake form of the creator god, he was not easily destroyed. Legend had it that every night, Apophis attacked the boat of the sun god as it passed through the underworld. He was beaten back and slaughtered but, no matter how many times he was killed, he never stayed dead. The majority of souls siding with the creator god, both living and dead, joined to defeat him. While the dead battled him and his few followers, the living performed rituals in temples to ensure his defeat. All aspects of his being: his body, his name, his shadow and his magic, were cursed and no one wanted to bring this curse upon himself by creating any affiliation with this being. (1)

But for someone with nothing left to fear, this was the ironic ray of hope he needed. Apophis, who yielded to no one (especially not a mortal) heard his prayers and was intrigued. The deity had never witness such desperation, such willingness to reach out to the dark forces or such unwillingness to shrink away from him. He'd held back and watched as night after night, the mortal would beckon him, first with mere prayers, and later with sacrifices of increasing size. The advantage for Apophis in granting this mortal his wish was minimal, yet it was his jealousy that compelled him to do so. His army was miniscule compared to the legions behind the creator god and, although he was unbeatable regardless of the size of his army, he was always envious of his opponent.

He came upon Bakura in the form of a crocodile (2). The first indication of his presence was a sudden, abrupt, shake of the earth that was so short lived that few realised it even occurred. The crocodile slithered his way unnoticed toward Bakura's tent where he found the white-haired human preparing to slit the throat of a bull he'd spent the majority of his day capturing.

"You have not eaten today." Bakura turned at the hallowed, disembodied voice that seemed to hover around the crocodile. He locked eyes with it once before relinquishing his hold on the bull and dropping to his knees. The massive creature galloped away in a fury, desperately seeking escape from the thick, foreboding aura.

Bakura could not remember the last time he prostrated himself. Particles of dirt wafted up his nose and made him irritable but he could do nothing more for god himself.

"You sought my audience, now tell me what you want."

For a moment, Bakura was incomprehensive. He was robbed of all senses, both in body and mind, and could do nothing but crouched like a feeble dog. He was well aware that the presence of the true Apophis would probably have killed him. "I want what I justly deserve." The words were drawn from his throat.

"Why not summon the creator god?"

"He is on the side of my foe."

"And you believe that will compel me to help you?"

"It compelled me to seek you."

The crocodile flared his nose. He wasn't impressed by what he saw but he sensed potential in this beggar. He'd rarely seen any human so pathetically devoted and, in a twisted way, selfless. For one, the man was willing to burn away a meal that could have lasted him ten fortnights. There was no point in asking what the human could do for him since he really couldn't do much at all. Apophis was arrogant, he liked to be worshipped, and since he had so few followers, he was very sensitive to the brief pockets of the living and dead who bowed to him.

"You will have no choice but serve me with all your being after this point."

Bakura agreed, but it soon became apparent that the mind of a god was very different from that of a human. His Ka was the first to feel Apophis' poison. Diabound had been a direct reflection of Bakura. It was a lowly but stealthy canine that relied on agility instead of strength. It aided the amateur thief in his many excursions through the market, acting as a distraction here, footstool there, and the like. The hybrid human-snake form it too thereafter was all due to the dark god and would later prove to change the nature of Bakura's occupation drastically. Bakura's _Ba_ was taken from him as proof of this binding contract. As a result, his being became ephemeral, translucent, viable to change and transformation. However, this also meant he was doomed to wander the surface world, robbed of the opportunity for eternal peace with the gods in the afterlife. At the moment, he didn't care. Fuelled by his blinding hatred and unquenchable thirst for revenge, Bakura offered everything Apophis desired, even if this meant losing part of himself in the process. The ritual left him momentarily paralyzed in agony and disbelief. He arose more god than man and more a vassal than someone with a will of his own.

Guidance from his god assured his victory but the inhuman lust for revenge simply could not be satiated. As the god's eternal jealousy burned with a fiery passion, so did Bakura's. This evil twisted and grew within him like an unkempt vine, eventually becoming an addition that demanded sustenance. There had to be another route for the self proclaimed thief king and, indeed, there was. Apophis had anticipated this and, with an invisible hand, guided his puppet back to the weapon that instigated it all, Mahaado's Ring. Both immediately saw potential in the noble yet proud Seto, cousin of the late pharaoh and son of the infamously shrewd Akunadin. This was exactly where Bakura struck. Using the usurped power of the Millennium Ring, Bakura implanted a part of his spirit deep within the unsuspecting High Priest. Although small, this seed would germinate in due time, gradually polluting the priest from the inside.

……………oooooooooo……………

Like a clap of thunder, the sound of the gong ripped through the room as the crimson curtain parted and Seto stepped through in measured paces. On either side of him nobles and high ranking officers prostrated themselves in his presence as he made his way towards the throne. At its height, the sun shone through the many windows in the throne room, illuminating the golden chamber with great intensity. The inlay of jade on the stone pillars flanking the North and South walls of the palace shone with a captivating green, a reminder of the mysterious Asian countries from which it came. He gradually closed in on the singular throne at the centre of the East wall. Mirroring the relatively minuscule seat on both sides was a careful depiction of the creator god's snake form accompanied by a rather large rendition of the _Eye of Horus _(3).

Although this breached protocol, there was no other way to get Yuugi to comply with this without _someone_ essentially forcing him down the isle behind Seto. Although mute, the little one was largely aware of what this ceremony entailed and did the best he could to make the process as difficult for those around him as possible. He hid from the servants who brought him his robes for the occasion and ran from anyone who tried to reason with him. Even Anzu and Jou had very little luck and, as servants, failed further in trying to explain the context of the ceremony. In the end, there was nothing left to do but drag the child into a separate room and beat him until he complied (this was done by Shimon who had wanted to do this for a very long time).

"He's never been beaten before." Anzu said in a hushed voice as she and Jou secretly watched from an entranceway off to the side.

"Yeah…" Was the sad reply, "But he'll get used to it."

Anzu bopped the blonde on the head in irritation, "How dare you suggest this will happen again!"

"Well," And in his blunt honesty, Jou turned up to meet the older girl's gaze with a matter-of-face expression, "Look at the way he's bein,' they don't got a choice."

She couldn't help but agree.

Seto was somewhat conflicted. While the enjoyed the attention and promised status, the fact that a child was being dragged noticeably against his will behind him by a highly irritated old man produced a different overall effect. He tried to maintain a composed demeanour but every so often those blue eyes would turn to his peripheral at the sound of dubious rustling and harsh whispers. Maintaining the same pace as the child without knowing when he'd stop or go was also an inconvenience.

Yuugi winced and sucked in a breath as Shimon jerked his arm forward, aggravating a green bruise the old man had recently given him, "Keep marching, child!" Shimon rasped sternly, careful to keep the words between them.

He stumbled onwards, unable to match the stride of the older men but not really trying either. At one point he let himself purposely fall against the old man's back, causing both to lurch forward unexpectedly and almost running into the relatively oblivious Seto who'd kept walking like nothing was happening. Although almost everyone in the room had their faces to the ground, they could hear the awkward noises and quickly lost patience for it.

"This is a sacred and very, very important ceremony, do you understand?" Shimon held the boy in place by the shoulders and turned Yuugi's chin upwards so the watery purple eyes would meet his gaze, "It's not about you, it is about the entire country, so behave or I will not hold my hand later on."

Yuugi gritted his teeth and frowned defiantly. He stood his ground unmoved, challenging the old mage. Seto had kept walking, unaware of the events behind him and it was only after Shimon cleared his throat loudly that Seto turned around, noticed the gap between them, and proceeded to close it as inconspicuously as possible.

"We will finish this!" Shimon rasped, anger permeating his tone like dye diffusing through water, "And I will pick you up and cart you to the throne if I have to."

The mage went to grab for the boy but Yuugi smacked Shimon's hands and backed away. At this distance, the prince could run if he wanted to and both Anzu and Jou prayed that he wouldn't. The old man and the young child stared each other down, the tension growing as they plotted their next move. Seto stood patiently with his back to the two, listening intently to the struggle behind him and silently counting the number to paces to his destination.

"For once don't do this," Shimon begged, gesturing to those on the ground, "You have all these people, with their faces to the ground (to the ground!) and all of the people outside who have travelled days (days!) for this, do you understand what I am saying child? Do you understand?"

Yuugi looked around the room at those bowing to the High Priest and himself as well. He remained stationary, enormous eyes pleading for the man to understand.

"What's he doin' down there, Anzu?" Jou pointed to the odd scene at the centre of the room.

"I…don't know. But I hope it's not going to turn bad."

"The prince won't do anything bad."

Anzu looked at the boy beside her in bewilderment, "Why do you say so?"

"I think he knows better."

"He does."

"We do this so we can have a future, my prince," Shimon continued, unsure of what Yuugi really wanted, "So all of us can have a future, including you."

Yuugi looked down at his protruding belly.

"And I'm only asking you to participate because I know you can." That was a partial lie but it seemed like a good argument at the time, "It's what Great Egypt would want, what your father would want as well."

The prince's lip quivered at the mention of his father and his eyes glistened with wetness once more, blurring his vision.

Shimon held his hand out, "Come now, the people will one day look to you, so do this, for them."

A few people turned their heads up to see what was happening, finding it difficult to do so without notice from the High Priest. Seto remained patient, waiting out the process with full knowledge he'd have to deal with this attitude for years to come. He wasn't going to be bothered by a child of all things. It was only after Yuugi caught sight of Anzu and Jou from far back in the distance that his attitude saw a dramatic change. Without fully comprehending what was going on, they nodded enthusiastically and urged him forward. Jou gave his big old grin that only Jou could muster without looking completely idiotic and Anzu's smiled with the whole of her countenance.

The last ten steps went smoothly as Shimon held Yuugi's hand all the way to the throne. When they finally climbed the last staircase to the top, Yuugi stood obediently and waited. The three counsellors stood in the places: Shimon represented the spiritual body, a man by the name of Bato stood for the temporal body of the state and Honda, captain of the palace foot soldiers, stood for the military authority. The three lifted High Priest Seto to the throne of Egypt and placed the prince on his lap. This union was highly uncomfortable for both the prince and his uncle for obvious reasons. However, Seto held the boy firmly in place for practical rather than ceremonial purposes. The chorus of people stood at the sound of the gong and raised their voices in royal salute to cheer the new regent and the prince to the great throne of Egypt. Those outside the palace heard the shouts and joined in the celebration, their voices carrying into the room right up to the throne.

Shimon strapped the false beard of the kingship upon the High Priest's chin. Lord Bato bound the lion's tail around his waist and settled the red and white crown of upper and lower Egypt on his brow. Finally, Honda stepped forward to place the golden crook and flail in his hands. These two symbols of Egyptian Gods and kings entrapped Yuugi to Seto, binding him where he sat. He watched through the hooked ends as, one by one, the great lords of Egypt knelt before the throne and swore their allegiance (4). The last to do this was Honda, who Yuugi recognize as the man who impeded him in his quest to find his father.

The gong clanged once more, signally the start of the festivities. In a blink of an eye, the political overtones of the situation became one of mirth and celebration as people flooded into the room in a whirl of colours. The place soon proliferated with cooks (and their meals), performers and people from a wide range of rank. They celebrated the start of a new beginning and the promises of freedom and prosperity that was soon to follow. Only one person in the room felt trapped: the one bound by the crook and flail, the one whose voice was silenced and the one who would never get the claim the throne as his own.

……………oooooooooo……………

Osiris stared at the comatose body on the stone slab in front of him. The arms of the former pharaoh were neat folded across his chest and a serene expression graced his countenance. The five great gods, including Anubis, master of the dead, surveyed him for days on end, probing the recesses of his mind and treating his _Ba_ with spells to force the resurfacing of knowledge long dead. Their search produced nothing important except for a strange piece of debris found lodged in his brain. It was a scale, that Osiris was sure of but _who_ the scale actually belonged to was a different matter. He held the thing up to the light with a fine pair of tongs, examining it for the hundredth time. A microscopic black speck dotted its peripheral, something he'd failed to notice before, and, upon closer inspection, the speck dissipated in a tiny smoke of black. Nothing did that. No, that wasn't true. There _was_ something that could do that and Osiris shook at the thought. This was none other than the enemy's doing.

……………oooooooooo……………

Notes:

(1) and (2): This description of Apophis was taken from Geraldine Finch's _Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt._ Apophis can appear in the form of a snake or a crocodile but snakes were not regarded as evil in Ancient Egypt. For one, the creator god sometimes took the form of a snake.

(3) This description of the throne room was taken from episode 201 (so you can't say it's not canon!)

(4) The general outline of this ceremony was taken from Wilbur Smith's _River God_. I'm not completely sure this one's fact or fiction though.

Also, since this story is taking a turn for the depressing, I've written a one-shot side story to it:

**Title: **I Hate it  
**Summary:** For his third birthday, Atemu gives Yuugi an… interesting gift. Fada knows best, right? Not really.


End file.
